Unknown Strength
by mikeb1082
Summary: What if Tsukune had never attended Yokai Academy yet still ended up finding himself within the monster world? Follow Tsukune as he discovers new things about himself and a new world he becomes thrust into. WARNING: It will take a few chapters until Tsukune stumbles upon the monster world but for good reason. (rated M just in case)
1. Chapter 1

Tsukune Aono was your pretty average teenager. He went to school, got average grades, never stood out or participated in school activities. All he really did was eat, sleep and go to school. The only 'unique' thing about him was that he lived alone. His parents had passed away shortly after his thirteenth birthday and left their house and all of their wealth to him. It wasn't an insanely high amount of money, nor was it a big house. The only family he had were his Aunt, Uncle and cousin Kyoko. They had offered to take him in after his parents' untimely deaths, but Tsukune didn't want to be a burden on them, nor did he want to move to a new city and switch schools.

Tsukune had just finished up his junior year of high school and it was now Summer Vacation. Sadly, Tsukune had no plans for the summer other than sitting in his room for most of the day watching anime and reading manga. One day, Tsukune decided to go see a new sci-fi action movie about a man who's town was completely decimated by monsters and sought vengeance for his village.

After the movie, Tsukune had decided to find an ATM and withdraw some money to buy groceries for the week. After walking for a little bit, he found an ATM. He inserted the card he had inherited from his parents and entered his pin. As per his usual routine when making a withdraw, Tsukune first checked his accounts balance. Much to his chagrin, he was only down to a few hundred dollars of the money his parents had left him.

"Damn, I really should've cut back on buying so much manga" he said to no one in particular.

"Guess it's time for me to look for a part time job."

After a weeks worth of searching for a job, Tsukune had struck out every time. Just about to give up, Tsukune decided to try one last place, the small, worn down martial arts dojo in a deserted part of town. Tsukune was never one for athletics, but he didn't have any other options. The dojo had a few broken shingles and some of the shutters looked like they were about to fall off if a strong enough wind blew through. Entering the dojo, Tsukune took off his shoes out of respect and realized no one seemed to be there.

"Hello? I-is anyone here? I came to ask if there is any chance of getting a job here." Tsukune yelled, hoping someone was actually there to listen.

A minute or two passed with not a single sound heard from anywhere in the building.

"Great! Another swing and a miss! I just can't seem to catch a single break!"

Tsukune turned and began to put his shoes back on when he heard something moving behind him. He turned to see a short, old man walk out of the back room. He was dressed in a black martial arts outfit with a white coat overtop. He wore glasses and was smoking a cigarette. The most unusual feature about the old man was his oddly pointy ears.

"Ah, it's been so long since I had a visitor here. Sorry for not coming sooner. I must have fallen asleep while reading some manga. My name is Touhou Fuhai. And who might you be young man?"

"T-Tsukune Aono." replied Tsukune. _Something about this old man is off. I'm not sure if it's the fact that he is still smoking at his age or that he said he fell asleep reading manga._

"You said you are here in search of a job? Might I ask why exactly?" inquired Touhou.

"Well I live by myself and the money my parents left me is getting pretty low so I figured it was about time to get a job." answered Tsukune.

"You live by yourself eh? Might I ask why? And if your parents left you money, why aren't you living with them instead of by yourself? After all, you are still a young kid."

Tsukune sat there for a moment before responding, obviously reluctant to talk to someone about his situation. "W-well my parents passed away shortly after I turned thirteen and left the house and the funds they had saved up to me." Tsukune replied, uneasily.

"I see. I am sorry for your tragic loss. As for the job, do you have any knowledge of the martial arts?" Touhou asked.

"No. I mean I have always been interested in learning, but never went to any classes." Tsukune looked down at his shoes as he felt yet another job slip through his fingers due to his inexperience.

A few minutes passed as Touhou Fuhai just stood there in silence. Tsukune wasn't sure what was going through the old man's mind, but he knew what the final verdict would be. So Tsukune decided that he didn't need to wait for an actual answer and finished putting on his shoes. He turned and faced the old man and bowed, "I'm sorry for wasting your time."

"H-hello? Mr. Fuhai, sir?" Tsukune asked before realizing that the old man had actually fallen asleep. "U-um sir? A-are you there?" he asked hesitantly.

Touhou jerked as he woke up. "Sorry about that young man. And as for the job, you start tomorrow. Come by tomorrow after school so I can debrief you on your duties." Touhou said with a smile while he held his long cigarette in his hand.

Tsukune just stood there dumbfounded. The old man had actually given him the job! "Thank you so much Mr. Fuhai! I really appreciate it! But I must ask, why would you give me the job if I know nothing about martial arts?" Tsukune asked puzzled.

"Because Tsukune-san, those who have knowledge are the hardest to teach and those who have none are like a blank slate, thus easy to teach. Plus, you give off a good aura and I expect great things from you."

Tsukune just stood there even more confused. Touhou expected great things from him? Him?! An average teenager who had never done any sports let alone martial arts? And what did he mean about 'giving off a aura'? Was this old man crazy or did he know things that Tsukune couldn't even begin to fathom. Regardless, Tsukune had just gotten his first part-time job and felt happy.

* * *

The next day, school seemed to drag on. Once the last bell rang, Tsukune bolted from the classroom and out of the school. He was eager to start his first day at his first part-time job. When Tsukune reached the dojo, he took off his shoes and placed his backpack and shoes in a wooden basket beside the door. He slipped on a pair of two-toed socks that were left by the basket that Touhou had apparently left for him.

"Hello, Fuhai-sensei?" Tsukune called. Hearing rustling from the back, Touhou soon appeared with a smile on his face.

"Ah, Tsukune, you're hear. You seem to be very eager to start your job."

"Of course I am! This is the first part-time job I've ever had! But what exactly am I gonna do here? I mean, I don't know martial arts so I can't teach anyone."

"That is true, my boy, but that is just a part of what work needs to be done within a dojo. To start with, I wish for you to wash the dojo floor. There is a bucket and a towel in the back. You can fill out the bucket out behind the dojo. Let me know when you finish and I shall judge your work."

"Yes sir!" Tsukune eagerly exclaimed as he stiffened up and saluted to Touhou before running to the back and fetching the bucket and towel. However, there was not one bucket, but two and both attached to a wooden post, one on each end. Tsukune didn't really think much of it at first, but then realized why the buckets were like that when he went out back. After searching the side and back of the building, Tsukune couldn't find a faucet. "Fuhai-sensei, where is the faucet to fill the buckets up?" Tsukune shouted towards the front of the building where Touhou was sweeping the front steps.

" There isn't one. There is a creek about half a mile into the forest behind the dojo. Fill the buckets up there." Touhou responded with a devilish smirk which Tsukune couldn't see. _You're kidding right?_ Tsukune thought to himself. He turned, picked up the wooden post and stared to walk into the forest. _ This is going to be a rough day._


	2. Chapter 2

"Just my luck. I have to carry these buckets on my shoulders a half mile both into and out of a forest to get water." Tsukune had said with a sigh. "I just hope the trail that Fuhai-sensei told me about is in tact."

After walking for about five minutes, Tsukune had realized that he should have kept his mouth shut. The trail was anything but 'in tact'. There were fallen trees and thick shrubs everywhere he looked. With a sigh, Tsukune decided to take his time and look for the easiest way to maneuver through the obstacles that lay in his path.

For every tree he ducked under and shrub he went around, two more seemed to replace themselves. Tsukune was beginning to regret taking this job. After about fifteen minutes of navigating himself into the forest, Tsukune had began to realize that he had gotten himself lost. "Great! What else could possibly go wrong?!" he exclaimed. Just then, Tsukune began to hear something moving in the bushes behind him. Turning around with fear embedded into his face, Tsukune stood motionless in anticipation as to what was about to come out of the bushes. _Is there some kind of predator in this forest? Like a bear or a wolf pack? If so, why in the hell did Fuhai send me in here?!_

Just then, Touhou Fuhai had emerged from the bush with a smile on his face and cigarette burning happily. "I see you have gotten yourself lost my young friend," he said with a bigger grin. "I told you to stick to the path and you would be done in no time."

"Follow the path?! The path was completely destroyed! There were trees laying all over it and bushes thick enough that not even a microscope could see through it!" Tsukune exclaimed with anger and annoyance.

Touhou just stood there smiling at Tsukune and taking puffs of his cigarette. After blowing some smoke in Tsukune's direction, Touhou spoke, "Come, I shall guide you out of the forest." Turning around, he began to walk straight forward, not concerning himself with the bush. Much to Tsukune's surprise, the bush seemed to easily be moved and left a hole the shape of Touhou where he had walked through. "Keep up or you will be lost in here forever." yelled Touhou who was getting further and further away. Without anymore delay, Tsukune had begun to follow Touhou as quickly as possible while still avoiding the trees and bushes in his path.

After about 30 minutes, the pair arrived in the backyard of the dojo. Tsukune had used up so much energy maneuvering in that forest all while carrying that post and buckets that he collapsed once he got to the middle of the yard. Huffing and puffing, Tsukune spoke up, "Just how did you get through there so effortlessly? That place is a giant maze!" Touhou turned with his signature grin on his face and said, "Because I have lived here for many years young man. And I have also learned many tricks through the years so I could make it through that forest with ease even if it were my first time entering it."

Tsukune slowly started to get up when he realized Touhou was standing right in front of him now. "Follow me child." he said with a very serious tone and began to walk towards the front of the dojo. Puzzled, Tsukune followed his boss inside. When he entered, he saw all sorts of equipment from weapons to punching bags, and towels to sports tape. Confused Tsukune decided to break the silence, "What is all this stuff?"

"This, my boy, is the day you start your training." Touhou said as he picked up some tape and a towel and tossed them towards Tsukune. "There is a uniform in the back that should fit you. Go clean yourself up, change into it, and tape your wrists and feet so we can begin."

* * *

After following Touhou's orders, Tsukune returned to the main room of the dojo where the equipment was now all set up appropriately with Touhou punching away on a bag that seemed like it would break if hit any harder. Walking up to Touhou, Tsukune was careful not to get in the old man's way. "U-Um Fuhai-sensei? What exactly did you mean by 'my training'?"

Ceasing his onslaught on the bag, Touhou turned to face Tsukune and said, "exactly what I said. You said you were interested in learning and I told you I would judge your work when you finished fetching the water and cleaning the dojo floor. It is obvious to me that you lack necessary skills for such a task so I have decided to train you while you are working here. I do not give up on those I spend my time with so I shall train you instead of firing you. Now, take a stance as if you were about to fight me." Touhou then moved his feet and hands and took a defensive stance against Tsukune.

Confused, Tsukune had slowly moved himself into the same pose and stood there. In the blink of an eye, Touhou was right in front of Tsukune and had thrown a punch that stopped right in front of his face. Shocked, Tsukune stumbled backwards barely remaining on his feet. "H-how did you do that?!" Tsukune questioned. "And how were you able to get your fist up to my face? No offense, but you are way too short to be able to reach my face with your fist."

"You are right, Tsukune Aono. For an ordinary short, old man I should not be able to do such things. However, -" suddenly a bright light began to radiate from Touhou and within a few seconds, a tall man who looked to be in his 30's appeared in his place. "- I am no ordinary old man."

* * *

_I must have passed out while in the woods and am dreaming. Or spent to much energy and am hallucinating. Yea that's it. I'm hallucinating._ Tsukune thought to himself trying to rationalize what he had just witnessed. A short old man had suddenly become a tall, handsome man in his 30's.

"This is no hallucination Tsukune Aono. What you saw was real. I am Touhou Fuhai and I shall be training you in martial arts from this day forward." he said with his arms crossed and a very serious look on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

"H-how did you do that?! I thought you were just an old man! Wh-what are you?!" Tsukune said as he staggered backwards before falling flat on his ass.

"What I am is not important right now Tsukune Aono. What IS important is your decision. Will you run away out of fear or will you stay and be taught in the way of my own personal style of martial arts. I call it, Youjutsu. With it, you channel the energy within your body and form it into a weapon that can be used for both offense and defense. Now, what is your decision Tsukune Aono?"

Tsukune stood motionless for a couple of minutes, deep in thought. _What should I do? I can't even comprehend what the hell just happened so can I really trust this guy? On the other hand, he seems very strong and might even be able to make me strong. Or at least strong enough to protect myself or innocent people. _ A multitude of thoughts crashed Tsukune's mind.

Finally, after about 10 minutes, Tsukune finally spoke up, "I-I've decided that I will stay and become your apprentice. But you have to explain to me how you're able to turn yourself into a tall, handsome guy that doesn't look a day over 30! Or is this the real you and you are able to turn into a short, old man? But that can't be right 'cause who would want to turn into an old man if they were still young?" Tsukune kept spitting out all the various possibilities while Touhou Fuhai just tood there and let out a sigh. "Well, at least the kid's not simple-minded."

* * *

_Time laps of 1 week_

"You've come a long way in just a week, my dear boy. You are the fastest learner I've ever had as a student." Touhou said, congratulating Tsukune. "However, we still have a long way to go."

By now, Tsukune's body had begun to form well-tones muscles and he had become more confidant as well as having more self-esteem.

"Huh?! But I've already pretty much mastered all of the forms and techniques!" Tsukune said with a hint of annoyance.

"That may be true, however there is a lot more to my techniques than just knowing the basics. You must learn to channel the energy within your body and focus it at a single spot. Doing this allows you to use any body part as a deadly weapon. But enough training for today. I have something else I need you to do for me."

Confused, Tsukune headed out with a list of items Fuhai-sensei needed him to pick up from the market. The list included some vegetables, a 5 gallon pot, beef and a few manga. To Tsukune it seemed like all he was doing was running Fuhai's errands so he didn't have to do them himself. The only odd thing was the location of the store Fuhai instructed him to go to. It was on the other side of town in a back alley.

_"Don't worry about its location too much. They always have the best ingredients and manga in town."_ Tsukune remembered Fuhai's words when he asked about the list. He was hoping his sensei was telling the truth and that he wouldn't be walking into his funeral or some hidden cult that would sacrifice him their diety and eat his flesh. Shaking off these thoughts, Tsukune continued to walk through town waving to the various vendors and elderly couples out for a walk.

By the time he had reached the store, the sun had started to set. Tsukune didn't notice anything strange about his surroundings and was relieved when he entered the shop to find it no different than any other convenience store besides being smaller. Walking around the store, Tsukune realized they sold some foods and drinks that he had never heard of. He figured this must be a branch store from one back in Fuhai's home town which is why Fuhai liked it so much. Once he had gathered all of the items, Tsukune paid for the items and started on his way back to the dojo.

Not long after leaving, Tsukune had a strange feeling that someone was following him. The weirdest thing about it was that Tsukune swore he could tell exactly where they were. Confused and wanting to test his theory, Tsukune began to jog. Quickly Tsukune realized he was right about both things. He was being followed by someone but he could tell where they were at all times. Having had enough of this game, and came to a complete and abrupt stop.

Without warning, Tsukune turned around at lightning speed and threw a punch that stopped just inches away from his stalker's face. Without hesitation, the person who had been pursuing Tsukune grabbed his wrist and twisted it with great force, causing Tsukune to drop the bags and drop down to one knee. Wincing in pain, Tsukune looked up to get a good look at who was following him. It was a kid about the same age as him, maybe a year younger. He had a slightly feminine face with long black hair died in a long, single braid.

"What the hell is someone like **you **doing here?!" beamed the assailant. "How did you know about this place?"

Not sure what was going on, Tsukune replied, "I have no clue what you're talking about! I was just sent here on an errand to buy some groceries and my boss specifically told me to go to that store." Quickly, Tsukune flipped sideways to untwist his arm and yank it out of the man's hands.

"Who are you and who was it that sent you?" inquired the mystery man.

"My name is Tsukune Aono and as for the man who sent me, why do you want to know? Are you after him or something? Did someone pay you to attack me to get back at him?" Tsukune questioned.

"No one has sent me after you and I only ask you who sent you to find out who was foolish enough to send someone like you all the way out here when there are plenty of shops that sell the same items you bought much closer into town."

"I was sent by Touhou Fuhai. My boss and sensei. Now may I go?"

The man just stood there in shock at what Tsukune had just revealed to him. "Y-you said Touhou Fuhai am I right? H-how do you know that man?" the man asked shakily.

"I work for him at his dojo and he has been training me in martial arts for the past week. Why?"

"Touhou Fuhai is my great-great Grandfather. No one in my family has seen him in over a hundred years. W-where is he?! Take me to him!" the man replied while gripping Tsukune by both shoulders while shaking him.

_'What's with this guy? Great-great Grandfather? Over a hundred years? First he attacks me now he wants me to help him. I don't know if I can trust this guy,' _Tsukune thought to himself. "Sorry, but no. I refuse to take you to him." Tsukune said as he pried the man's hands free of his shoulders. Tsukune then turned around, picked up his bags and continued to walk back to the dojo.

"Hold it right there! You're gonna take me to him either by choice or by force!" The man shouted as he pulled out a piece of paper with strange markings on it. The man then started to chant something that Tsukune couldn't understand so he dropped his bags again and to a defensive stance that Fuhai had tought him the other day.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed from where the strange man was standing and Tsukune had to cover his eyes to avoid going blind. Once the light faded, there was a huge cloud of white smoke be hind the man. "Haha! You're in for it now! Cower in fear at the feet of the mighty Fang-Fang Huang!" The man continued to laugh until he realized Tsukune wasn't shaking in fear, nor was he even in a defensive stance anymore. Confused, Fang-Fang turned around to see what he had summoned. Much to his dismay, it was a panda. A fat, lazy panda with bamboo sticking out of its mouth.

"Where did that panda come from?!" asked Tsukune who was on the verge on laughter.

"T-this is the mighty beast I have summoned to take you down and force you to take me to my Grandfather!" Fang-Fang had replied with blushed cheeks.

"Um, no offense Fang-Fang; it was Fang-Fang right? But the only thing that would be afraid of that is a bamboo tree." Tsukune replied, scratching the back of his head.

Embarrassed beyond belief, Fang-Fang grew incredibly angry. He turned around and started yelling at the panda in what sounded to Tsukune like Chinese. Suddenly, the panda tried to stand up, but quickly fell over, right on top of Fang-Fang. Just as quickly and mysteriously the panda had shown up, it vanished with a big puff of white smoke. Not knowing what was going on, Tuskune threw Fang-Fang over his shoulder and carried both him and his bags back to the dojo where Fuhai would be waiting. Hopefully he would have an idea of what to do with this kid.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, I'm back. Sorry about the wait on this chapter. Had it half written and then my computer froze and I lost everything so I decided to take a break for the holidays. I am making a quick, minor change. I will be now saying Fong-Fong instead of Fang-Fang as both are correct in the manga and my fingers automatically go to type Fong-Fong lol. Please enjoy the chapter. Bit of a teaser, I will be having Tsukune venture into the Monster World within 1-2 chapters as well as introducing Moka and a few of the other main/supporting characters (not sure if I'm gonna introduce all of the harem. Maybe just one or two).**

'_Ugh. Where am I? And why does it feel like I got hit by a bus?'_Fong-Fong got up from the bed he found himself in and began to study his surroundings. He was in a very large room with a bookshelf that went the entire length of the walls. On the shelves were what seemed to be one of every copy of every manga ever printed, including special editions. Other than the bookshelf and the bed, there was nothing else in the room. Hearing a conversation outside the room, Fong-Fong made his way to the doorway to see who was outside the room.

Fong-Fong pushed the curtain aside to see the boy who he had fought with in the street talking to a small, wrinkly old man while having lunch.

"You are progressing very rapidly Tsukune. I am proud to call you my disciple. However there is still a long way to go until you can give me a challenge." The old man said with a devilish grin.

"You never cease to amaze me sensei. I am eager to learn everything you have to teach me," said Tsukune.

"It seems our guest has awoken. Please come and make yourself at home." The old man motioned Fong-Fong over to a spot next to him around the table.

"Th-thank you." Fong-Fong made his way over to the table and sat down. "Might I ask where I am and what I am doing here?"

"You are at my dojo on the outskirts of town. As for the reason why, my disciple here brought you back with him after running some errands for me. You've been unconscious since 6 in the afternoon yesterday." Fong-Fong just stared at the old man for a second; taking in everything he had just said.

'_I've been unconscious since yesterday? What exactly happened to me? WAIT! DID HE SAY I'M IN HIS DOJO ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN?! TH-THAT MEANS THAT THIS OLD MAN IS…. IS…"_

"Grandfather!" Fong-Fong exclaimed, pulling the old man into a hug.

"Easy there son. I realize you are excited to see me, but I am a brittle old man. Try not to be so rough with your grandpa." Touhou Fuhai said as he pried Fong-Fong's arms off of him.

"Where have you been for the last decade? Everyone in our family has been looking for you non-stop! We even sent our best men out to find you!" Fong-Fong exclaimed.

"I have been enjoying a quiet, peaceful life. I am sorry I wasn't around to watch you grow up but I wanted time to myself. However, if I was around I wonder if you would've become manlier." The last part Touhou said under his breath, but loud enough for Fong-Fong and Tsukune to hear. Hearing his grandfather's words, Fong-Fong hung his head in defeat and disgrace.

"So this guy really is your grandson sensei?" asked Tsukune.

"Why yes he is. My great-great-grandson to be exact. However I haven't seen him since he was very little."

"Anyway, back to our discussion Tsukune. Today I'm going to teach you how to channel the energy within your body so that you can use it for either offense or defense. It is going to be the hardest training you've done thus far so prepare yourself." Touhou instructed Tsukune.

"Of course sensei. When exactly are we going to start?" inquired Tsukune.

"As soon as we finish our meal. After this, we are going to head into the forest. There is a secret spot that is perfect for this type of training."

And with that, the three finished their meal and followed Touhou Fuhai through the forest to this secret training spot. After about a ten minute walk, they arrived at their destination. It was a secluded pond with a 30-foot waterfall with rocks at the bottom. Looking up at the waterfall, Tsukune noticed a path that was carved into the rocks behind the waterfall and guessed that there was some type of cave behind the waterfall.

"This place is amazing! I bet it feels great to take a swim in there!" exclaimed Fong-Fong.

"Indeed it is. That is of course if you wish to be eaten alive by the various fish dwelling within the water." Fuhai said with his notorious devilish grin. Fong-Fong's face tensed up at the thought of what exactly lived beneath the water.

"So what exactly makes this place ideal for teaching me to control my inner energy?" asked Tsukune.

"This is not the place we shall be training at, my young apprentice. The place we seek is behind that waterfall." Touhou pointed about ten feet up the waterfall which Tsukune and Fong-Fong assumed had a secret cave hidden behind it. "And your inner energy is referred to as Ki. It is the life force that every living thing has within it. There is a room deep within that cave that helps you harness that energy and that is where we will be training for the next few days."

Tsukune and Fong-Fong inched their way up the cliff behind Touhou Fuhai who seemed to have little to no trouble scaling the mountainside. After a little while, they reached the mouth of the cave. "Stick close to me boys and don't touch anything. I have set up traps inside this cave to keep unwanted visitors out." Touhou warned the two teens whose faces turned a ghastly white at the mention of traps.

Twenty minutes later, the trio reached a giant doorway with strange markings all over it. In the middle was a circular looking lock with various images on it. On the outer layer of the lock, there was a moon, a lizard and a star. On the middle layer, there was what looked like a flame, a tree, a cross and a serpent. On the innermost layer, there was a sun, a bear claw, what appeared to be a fanged mouth, a pitchfork, and a lightning bolt. Touhou Fuhai approached the door and studied the lock and its markings.

"Now if I remember correctly, I placed a timer on this lock so even the slightest hesitation when trying to unlock it sets off a pitfall trap that leads one hundred feet straight down to a spiked pit." The mention of a pitfall trap and spikes at the bottom caused Fong-Fong to faint, and Tsukune's knees to buckle and shake. "Now if only I could remember the combination." Fuhai said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Y-you're kidding right? You know the combination don't you? After all, you wouldn't bring us here if you didn't. R-right sensei?"

"Sadly, my dear Tsukune, I can't seem to remember the combination for the life of me." Fuhai said with a chuckle. "I guess I should ease up on how much manga I read. It seems to be causing me to forget things in my old age." Touhou let out a loud laugh that woke Fong-Fong.

"Why don't you give it a try Tsukune?" Fuhai motioned for Tsukune to step up to the door.

"WHAT?! There's no way I know the right combination! I'll get us all killed!" Tsukune yelled in protest.

"Now, now Tsukune. The only choice we have is to move forward and open this door. And with my old joints I can't steadily slide each layer."

"Why don't you just transform into that younger version of you and do it?!" beamed Tsukune.

"Because it would be a waste of what precious energy I have left now get over here and open this door." Fuhai said with power in his voice. Upon hearing the strength and force in which his master spoke, Tsukune shakily walked over to the door.

"Now, place your hand on the door and concentrate. Feel the space around you and clear your mind." Fuhai instructed as Tsukune closed his eyes and placed his hand in the center of the locking mechanism.

'_Clear my mind. Feel the space around me. Focus. Focus.'_ Tsukune thought to himself. He stood there for a few minutes letting his mind go blank. Suddenly, Tsukune could see three images flash in his mind one by one. It was a moon, a cross and then fangs. Tsukune abruptly opened his eyes and his body jerked. "I-I think I saw the combination." Tsukune stammered.

"Wonderful. Now carefully slide each layer to match top to bottom what images you saw. Make sure you slide each one with the same speed and grace." Instructed Fuhai. Tsukune shakily reached his hand towards the uppermost layer. He mentally braced himself as he steadied his hand as he placed it on the layer and began to turn it so that the moon was pointing north. He then proceeded to do the same with the middle layer and the innermost layer, pointing both the cross and the fangs north in line with the moon. Once he slid the last layer into place, Tsukune expected something to happen. But there was nothing. Silence.

After a few more seconds passed, a loud click echoed through the room and the ground began to rumble. "Great! I just got us all killed!" Tsukune couldn't help but yell causing Fong-Fong to faint, yet again.

"Relax my pupil." Touhou said calmly yet loud enough for Tsukune to hear. Tsukune listened to his master's words and stopped panicking. After a few more seconds, the door began to slide open and reveal a hidden chamber within. "You've done it Tsukune. Now grab my grandson and let us begin our training."

Tsukune walked over and threw Fong-Fong's unconscious body over his shoulder and walked into the room.

"Welcome, Tsukune, to the location of your final lesson."

**Hope you guys enjoy the chapter. I plan on starting to make each chapter from here on out longer (hopefully twice as long so long as the words steadily flow out of my fingers lol). **

**Just so you all know, I do not plan out the events that will take place from chapter to chapter. I simply let my mind and fingers do their work and let the ideas and words flow. **

**Now there are some parts that I plan out as I begin to write a chapter to try and guide myself in the direction I want the story to take.**

**Like I said up above, there will probably only 1 more chapter before I have Tsukune and company go to the monster world. As such I will do a small time jump to the final day of Tsukune's training and probably another which you guys will have to wait and find out about.**

**I am also looking for someone to be a beta reader for me as I have none. I simply post the story the second I finish typing it which is the main reason for any grammar mistakes I may make along the way. If you are interested and will take it seriously, message me.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Decided to give you guys a treat and post the next chapter. The chapter that follows this one will finally take our trio into the monster world. Hope you guys enjoy!**

_**Time laps of 3 days**_

"Great work Tsukune. You have mastered the art of channeling your inner strength and using your energy as a weapon. However, the greatest test is yet to come." Fuhai congratulated Tsukune who was breathing heavily with his hands on his knees and sweat dripping off of his body.

"Take a rest now. Tonight we head back to the dojo and have a party to celebrate your accomplishments. If you wish, go on and take a swim in the pond outside. So long as you keep a steady flow of Ki to surround yourself, nothing should attempt to harm you." Fuhai said as he began to clean up the training equipment around the room.

"Thank you sensei." Tsukune said with a bow. "You comin' too Fong-Fong?" he asked.

"You bet! A nice relaxing swim sounds like an awesome way to unwind from our constant training these past few days." The duo then proceeded to book it out of the cave and leapt off of the cliff into the pond below.

"Kids these days have so much energy. They deserve to relax since they are about to be faced with a rough journey in the very near future." Fuhai had a devilish grin flash across his face as he walked out of the secret room with the door automatically closing behind him and resealing itself.

"Ah! This feels so relaxing!" Fong-Fong said as he floated on his back in the middle of the pond.

"You said it man! After so much intense training this past 2 weeks, this is paradise!" Tsukune replied as he floated next to Fong-Fong. "I wonder what lives in this pond. Sensei said there were dangerous creatures that lived in these waters; I wonder what they look like and how big they are." Tsukune pondered as he started to tread water near the middle of the pond.

"Not sure, but I don't intend to find out." Fong-Fong said as he swam towards the shore and got out. "I'm headed back to the dojo. You comin'?" he asked, pointing towards the path behind him.

"Nah, I think I'm gonna stay a bit longer and enjoy myself." Tsukune said as he began to swim around some more.

"Suit yourself man. Just be careful out here."

"I will. And besides, after all the training I've had, I can take care of myself just fine." Tsukune said as he began to start swimming across the pond. After a little while, Tsukune decided to meditate under the waterfall. Swimming towards it, he felt a strange energy being emitted from the waterfall. Shrugging it off as just the force from it crashing into the rocks, Tsukune found a flat rock under the waterfall and sat with his legs crossed and arms resting on his lap.

He let his mind wander as he expelled all thoughts from his head. Clearing his mind, Tsukune fell into a deep trance of serenity and bliss. Suddenly, images began to flash within Tsukune's mind just like when he had touched the door in the cave. He saw images of his parents when they were still alive. He was witnessing his Thirteenth birthday party. The last birthday party he had before his parents' death. A feeling of sorrow washed over Tsukune but he stayed in his trance and just let the visions pass.

Next, he saw his parents walking together in downtown Tokyo. He figured it must have been from when they took a weekend vacation for their anniversary the weekend after Tsukune's birthday. They had left him home alone, his Father saying that 'he had just turned thirteen and was a man now and a man can be left by himself,' much to his Mother's disagreement. Eventually, his father had coaxed his mother into not hiring a babysitter and trusting their son to be by himself for the weekend.

Tsukune watched as his parents left a fancy restaurant arm in arm. His father was dressed in a nice black suit with a sage green tie while his mother was in a slim sage green dress with a tiny slit running up the side to allow for easier movement. They were walking past an alleyway when Tsukune saw two red eyes pop up in the darkness in the alleyway. He watched as the eyes grew closer and closer to the edge of the street. Tsukune could then make out their striking silver hair and pupils that looked like those of a cat; slitted and hungry. With the figures body still in the shadows, Tsukune couldn't tell if the figure was a male or female. What he could tell was that they weren't friendly.

He kept watching as his parents walked into a dance club next to the alleyway in which the figure was hiding. The images then fast-forwarded to his parents leaving the night club. Judging from how dark it was, Tsukune figured it was probably around 3 AM as his parents began to walk back towards their hotel. As they passed the alleyway next to the club, Tsukune kept an eye out for the figure, only to see nothing. Tsukune watched as his parents walked into their hotel and into the elevator.

What Tsukune saw next wanted to make him throw up and cry in agony. He saw his parents bloodied bodies lying on the ground of their hotel room with a dark figure looming over top of them. As if sensing his presence, the figure turned and face Tsukune and grinned widely. Tsukune noticed that it had the same predator-like eyes and long silver hair as the figure from the alleyway. He also noticed that the figure had 4 sharp fangs that had blood dripping from them. Tsukune's body shook as the figure started to approach him. Tsukune froze when the figure began to speak in a raspy voice but had power in its words and said, _"__I'm coming for you next, Tsukune Aono!__"_

Tsukune's eyes shot open as he began to shake. He looked around and realized he was still sitting under the waterfall. _'D-did I just see the murder of my parents?! W-who and WHAT was that, that thing! It looked like a monster that crawled straight out from hell! Why did it kill my parents and what does it want with me?!' _

Many different thoughts raced through his mind as he noticed some rustling in the bushes next to the pond. Tsukune jumped up and started to cower in fear, his mind shook from what he had just seen while meditating.

"There you are, Tsukune. It's time to head back to the dojo now and have our party." It was Touhou Fuhai who emerged from the bushes with a smile on his face. Shaking off his fear and what he had seen, Tsukune jumped off of the rock and swam to shore. Touhou handed him a towel and began to turn and walk back to the dojo. Tsukune dried his feet and put his shoes on, drying himself fully as they walked back. Not being able to fully shake the figures words out of his head, Tsukune kept thinking about the words it had spoke before he realized they were already back in the backyard of the dojo.

"So did you enjoy yourself in the pond Tsukune?" asked Touhou.

"Huh? Oh, uh, y-yea." Tsukune replied with little to no confidence.

"Did you see anything strange or scary when you were swimming?" Touhou asked him as his trademark grin grew across his face. Luckily his back was to Tsukune as to not tip him off of what he might know.

Tsukune just remained quiet. "It's alright, my boy. I'm sure if you saw something unexplainable it was probably just your mind playing tricks on you from exhausting." Fuhai said trying to comfort the boy.

"W-well I did see something while I was meditating under the waterfall and I'm not sure why but I highly doubt it was my mind playing tricks on me."

"What was it that you saw, Tsukune?" asked Fuhai.

"I-I saw my parents. When they were still alive and on their anniversary vacation the weekend that they died. I watched them throughout the night going to dinner and a night club then heading back to their hotel room. B-but that's when I saw… saw…." Tsukune couldn't bring himself to say the last part of what he had seen due to the horrific feelings that engulfed his body when he recalled seeing the figure looming over his parents dead bodies.

"What is it? What did you see?" Fuhai said turning around with a very serious look in his eyes.

"I-I saw a dark figure standing over my parents. Th-they were dead and blood was everywhere. The f-figure was standing over them with blood all over it. Its eyes were a deep red with cat-like slits and it had long silver hair. I knew it was all a hallucination but just when I thought it was over, it turned and stared right at me. It then grinned and said, 'I'm coming for you next.'"

Touhou Fuhai stood there as still as a statue, his eyes hidden behind his glasses. If one could see his eyes, they would see fear, panic and desperation embedded deep within them.

"F-Fuhai-sensei?" Tsukue stuttered as he lightly shook his master's shoulder.

"Huh? Oh sorry Tsukune. Something just popped up in my head and I got lost there for a second."

"What was it?" asked Tsukune.

"Huh?"

"Wh-what was the thing that popped into your head?"

"Oh. I just remembered that the latest issue of one of my current mangas came out yesterday. I had totally forgotten while we were training." Fuhai said, scratching the back of his head as he shot Tsukune an innocent smile with a chuckle. Tsukune nearly fell over at his master's antics and how he seemed to be making light of what Tsukune had just told him.

"Don't worry about the hallucinations for now Tsukune. Now is the time for celebration and relaxation after what you've managed to accomplish in just 2 weeks time. Now come on. I have invited some guests over to help us celebrate. There are two in particular who are just dying to meet you." Fuhai said with a devilish grin.

Following Touhou Fuhai inside, Tsukune saw that the dojo was filled with people. Most wearing suits and sunglasses even though it was night time and they were inside. The main room of the dojo was decorated with balloons, streamers and a banner that said 'Congratulations' that hung from the far wall overtop of a couple of tables that had fruit punch and various snacks.

"Follow me Tsukune. The people I mentioned are in the back. They requested to meet with you in private." Fuhai motioned for Tsukune to follow him into the back room where he saw two people sitting around a table conversing about something that Tsukune couldn't quite make out. Sensing their presence, the two stopped talking and turned their attention towards Touhou and Tsukune.

"Ah, Fuhai my old friend. It's great to see you. Although the years don't seem to have been very kind with you." Said the man sitting on the left. He was dressed in what looked like a priest's uniform with is hood hiding his facial features. All Tsukune could see were two creepy eyes staring at them.

"It is good to see you too, Mikogami. You still seem to be as arrogant as always." Fuhai replied with a sharp tone to his voice. The two just stared at each other and Tsukune could feel a tense energy bounce off of the two of them. Sensing his nerves, the other patron spoke up.

"You must be young Tsukune Aono that we have heard so much about. Relax; this is a time for celebration and relaxation. Why don't you take a seat and join us?" The last person was a very beautiful woman who seemed to be in her 30's. She was slender and had long pink hair. She was wearing a beautiful emerald green party dress that matched her deep, emerald green eyes. Without realizing it, Tsukune caught himself staring at the woman who let out a playful chuckle at the young man's actions.

"S-sorry!" Tsukune apologized with a bow and sat down next to the woman, with Touhou on his left.

"So tell us, young man, what made you decide to work here for our dear friend, Mr. Fuhai." asked the woman.

"W-well I was kinda running low on money so I decided to get a part-time job to help pay for my expenses. Fuhai-sensei is actually the only person who would hire me since I've never had a job before." replied Tsukune.

"Well isn't that nice." The woman said with a warm smile to Fuhai, who blushed. "Now why would a nice young man like you need help paying for his expenses. Surely you don't have many. Did you try asking your parents to help?" she continued.

Tsukune drooped his head and twiddled his thumbs together and responded in a quiet, monotone voice, "I actually live by myself. My parents were murdered shortly after my Thirteenth birthday."

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, I had no idea. That must have been very hard for you." The woman pulled him into a tight hug which caught Tsukune by surprise as a faint blush grew on his face.

"Th-thank you," was all Tsukune could muster as the woman held him firmly against her chest.

Releasing him from her embrace, the woman looked at him in the eyes with a smile and spoke. "My name is Akasha Bloodriver. It is a pleasure to meet you Tsukune Aono."

"L-likewise Ms. Bloodriver."

"Oh, please. Call me Akasha." She said with a smile and slight tilt of her head.

'_Wow she's cute.'_ thought Tsukune.

Breaking him out of his trance, Fuhai coughed. "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let us get down to business." Everyone turned to face Touhou Fuhai and donned a serious face.

"Why did you two request this meeting with me and the boy?" asked Fuhai.

"You see Fuhai, I thought of a grand idea of holding a martial arts tournament between the three of us. We would have each of our disciples participate and whosever disciple wins, receive a fabulous prize." Said the priest, who Tsukune remembered his master calling him Mikogami.

"However, since I have no disciples of my own, I would act as the host and referee." Akasha said with a bright smile.

"What about your daughter? Surely she's going to be participating. After all, she loves a good fight." Fuhai stated.

"Due to complications at home, I had her raised under the care of Mikogami so she will be participating on his behalf. Don't worry, I don't interfere with my daughter's fights nor will I take favor to her. If anything I would be harder on her than the other competitors." replied Akasha.

"The only issue remaining is the fact that I have more disciples than Fuhai. I have about a dozen while Fuhai only has 2." Mikogami said with what Tsukune assumed was a smirk towards Fuhai.

"That is not a problem at all since I train disciples based on quality not quantity." Fuhai beamed back at Mikogami causing the two to get in each other's faces.

"We could just settle this right here, right now old man!" yelled Mikogami.

"I'd love to but it wouldn't be fair for you to not have at least a slim chance of winning. So let's have our disciples decide. That way you won't be able to give any excuses as to why you lost!" replied Fuhai.

"Now, now you two, calm down. Tonight is a night of peace and celebration. Bring that fire to the tournament." Akasha stepped between the two who both crossed their arms and looked opposite ways. Akasha then gave a sigh and walked towards the door.

"Now why don't we go greet our other guests and have some fun?" she asked with a bright smile. All four patrons exited the back room and started mingling with the other party goers. Tsukune felt a bit out of place so he searched for Fong-Fong so he had someone to talk to. He found him in the corner of the room sitting with a slender woman with her hair up in a bun on each side and a scary looking man who had two scars that ran across his face. Tsukune nervously walked over to the table.

"H-hey Fong-Fong. Enjoying the party?" Tsukune asked nervously.

"Oh hey Tsukune! Yea, the party is great! This here is my mom and dad. I was just telling them about our training and how strong you are." Fong-Fong replied.

"Fong-Fong has told us great things about you, young man. Why don't you consider joining our family?" asked Fong-Fong's father.

'_Did he just ask me to marry his son?' _thought Tsukune.

"Honey, don't scare the boy like that! I'm sorry for my husband's lack of manners. My name is Tian-Tian Huang. This is my husband Fei-Hong. It is a great pleasure to meet a friend of Fong-Fong. He is normally a bit of a loner and never really introduced one of his friends to us."

"M-mom! Stop embarrassing me like that! It's not my fault the other kids think that I'm weird!" Fong-Fong yelled in defense, causing his mother and father to bust out in a laughing fit.

"Sorry, son. We just can't help it!" his father, Fei-Hong said whipping a tiny tear of laughter out of his left eye.

"Well we thank you for being our son's friend. Please look after him and keep him out of trouble ok?" Tian-Tian said with a bow and smile causing Tsukune to blush from embarrassment. "O-of course Mrs. Huang."

The party died down a few hours later around 10 PM and the only ones who remained were Fong-Fong, his parents, Tsukune, Touhou Fuhai, Mikogami and Akasha. Fong-Fong and his parents said a quick goodbye to their grandfather and Tsukune and went on their way.

"Well tonight was a lovely night don't you agree?" asked Akasha to no one in particular.

"I'd have to agree with you Akasha. Tonight was very pleasant." Fuhai responded.

"Take care of yourself Tsukune and we shall see you next Thursday for the tournament. It doesn't start until Friday and runs all weekend, but we have instructed our participants to arrive a day early to get acclimated to their rooms and to have a welcoming party for everyone to mingle and enjoy themselves before the tournament." Akasha gave Tsukune a soft smile and light hug as she headed out.

"Well, Mikogami, I suppose it wasn't too bad seeing you again. I look forward to beating you in the tournament."

"You stole the words right out of my mouth Fuhai. Until Thursday then." And with that, everyone but Tsukune and Fuhai remained.

"Tsukune, if you'd like, you can spend the night here instead of having to walk all the way home this late at night." Fuhai told Tsukune. "I have set up a spare bed in the side room and you are more than welcome to use it."

"Thank you sensei. I appreciate it." And with a bow, Tsukune and Fuhai walked towards their separate rooms for the night.

**And with that, chapter 5 comes to a close. Hope you guys enjoyed it. The next chapter shall begin with Fuhai, Tsukune and Fong-Fong arriving at the location for the tournament on Thursday. So until next time guys ! : )**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! I'm back again for the next chapter of **_**Unknown Strength**_**! Hope you guys are enjoying it so far. After reading, please remember to Rate, Review and tell a friend ;) and please keep any potential spoilers out of the reviews as they will be deleted out of courtesy for anyone reading the reviews and looking ahead. Now, to the action!**

It was Wednesday night and both Tsukune and Fong-Fong had decided to sleep at the dojo since they would be leaving very early in the morning. It was roughly 2 AM (technically Thursday, I know but bear with me) and Tsukune was having a wonderful dream. He was dreaming about saving a little girl around the age of 8 who was being pursued by a creepy looking guy in his 40's. He beat up the man and took the scared, little girl to her father who just so happened to be the right-hand-man of the emperor.

The man invited Tsukune to have dinner with him, his daughter and the emperor as a show of gratitude for his actions. The emperor had even bestowed a great honor upon Tsukune by giving him a royal title, 2 BILLION yen (approximately $19,160,758.77) and a luxurious traditional mansion that came with a full staff of 30 maids and 15 butlers as well as 5 gardeners, 3 limo drivers, each with their own style of limo, and 10 private chefs. Tsukune felt as if he had no cares left in the world.

Suddenly, just as he was starting to imagine the maids all wearing uniforms that barely fit them, Tsukune's dream changed and he was now back in the training room in the cave. Something felt off to Tsukune besides the fact that the room was barely lit by a few blue-flamed lanterns hanging around the room. Confused, Tsukune began to walk around the room and further take in his surroundings. He noticed that there was no training equipment and there was a strange design encircling the main training ring.

Suddenly, the design lit up a bright blue and the lanterns burned violently. Just as quickly, however, the room went dark aside from the now dimmer light that the lanterns emitted.

"Glad you could join me Tsukune Aono." Hearing a voice, Tsukune turned to see Touhou Fuhai standing in the middle of the training ring, just a few yards from him.

"F-Fuhai-sensei? I-is that you?" Tsukune asked; squinting trying to get a better view.

Touhou didn't respond. A devilish grin grew wider and wider as the silence dragged on.

"Why are we here Fuhai-sensei? I thought we were done with our training?"

"Oh this isn't a training session, my dear Tsukune. This is the beginning of your demise!" Suddenly, Touhou Fuhai launched himself towards Tsukune, his arm stretched out and hand pointed as if it were a dagger. Stunned, Tsukune just stood there as Touhou transformed just before reaching him and his hand passed right by Tsukune's head.

Shocked, Tsukune fell over and felt a pain in his right cheek. He reached his hand up to rub it, but noticed that it was wet. Tsukune brought his hand down in front of his face and saw that his hand had blood all over it. Panicking, Tsukune turned and scrambled towards the door, which was sealed shut.

'_This is just a dream! All I have to do is wake up and it'll be over' _Tsukune closed his eyes shut with force and concentrated on waking up.

"It is no use! I have made this dream become reality and there is no escape! I shall enjoy myself as I drain your body of every last drop of blood!" Fuhai beamed, followed by a cliché villain laugh that shook the room.

"Prepare to die, Tsukune Aono." Fuhai said in a calm, quiet voice. He lunged forward at Tsukune who was frozen in place, with fear in his eyes. Just as Fuhai was a few feet away from Tsukune, a bright light erupted between Tsukune and Touhou Fuhai, causing both of them to avert their eyes or risk going permanently blind. Once the light had died down, Tsukune looked towards where the light had formed. What he saw made him almost lose what sense of reality he had left.

"Are you alright Tsukune?" Between him and Touhou Fuhai now stood…. Touhou Fuhai!

Trying to answer, Tsukune opened his mouth, but his tongue refused to form words. He just kept looking back and forth between both Touhou Fuhai's. One dead set on killing him, the other on keeping him safe.

'_What's going on?! Did I eat or drink something strange last night that is causing this?' _Tsukune thought to himself, trying to make sense out of what was transpiring.

"This is not a dream Tsukune. I feared this would happen sooner or later. I'm just glad I made it in time," said the Touhou Fuhai that was closest to him.

"W-what the hell is going on?!"

The Touhou Fuhai closed to Tsukune answered his question. "This person in front of me is the same man that you saw in your visions the other night while meditating. The same person who killed your parents and countless others. It is a being who has acquired various abilities by siding with the devil. All it seeks is enjoyment through violence and bloodshed."

Tsukune was now even more frightened when the apparently fake Touhou Fuhai began to laugh and change its form. "I didn't intend for you to make it here so quickly, Fuhai. I was hoping to have some more fun with the runt before I ripped his head off and bathed in his blood!"

The figure was now the same as when Tsukune had seen it a few nights before. Long, silver hair and slitted, scarlet eyes that were a deeper red than blood. It was as if the inside of its eyes were pools of blood that swirled around making him look even more terrifying.

"You made it a bit of a challenge for me to reach you in time, I will give you that. But you didn't really think you could set up a barrier strong and complex enough to keep out your master, did you?" Fuhai asked, playfully.

"Tch! You are no longer my master! The only person I need now is myself! My powers are far greater than yours old man!" shouted the silver-haired monster.

"The youthful are so naïve. Do you really think I would ever show someone like you my true power? Behold the difference in our strength!" Touhou tightened his muscles as a strange, red-ish mist began to emanate off of his body in every direction. Touhou let up a primal yell and flexed harder, causing the mist to get bigger and flow faster. Suddenly, Fuhai released this energy as a shock wave towards his ex-pupil. The shockwave was so big, that there was no hope in dodging it. It crashed full force into the villain and it send him crashing through the one of the giant pillars.

Touhou then took a defensive stance, as if to say 'I'm just getting started.'

"You'll regret that, old man! I will be back to take that pathetic human's life and wipe out any living thing that stands in my way!" With poof of black smoke, the man was gone, leaving Tsukune and Fuhai alone in the dream.

"Wh-what was that, just now?!"

"That, my dead Tsukune, was a previous disciple of mine who let power get to his head and became evil. His name is Hakaishi and I doubt this will be the last you will see of him. Now let's get out of here, shall we?" Touhou Fuhai placed a hand on Tsukune's shoulder and pulled out a piece of paper with strange markings on it as he chanted something in what Tsukune assumed was Chinese. When he was done chanting, Tsukune's world started to spin and he collapsed to the ground.

Tsukune jolted upright in bed, gasping for air and drenched in sweat. _'What kind of messed up dream did I just have?'_ Tsukune thought to himself as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. _'I need a glass of water to cool myself down.'_ Tsukune exited the room and walked into the bathroom that was right next to his room and began to fill up a glass of water. Taking slow sips, Tsukune's eyes began to focus as he looked in the mirror.

Spitting out all of the water in his mouth and onto the mirror, Tsukune dried it off with his hand and saw a long cut on the right side of his face. Putting a shaky hand up to it, Tsukune touched it and winced, confirming it was real. "That wasn't a dream?! How is that possible?!" Tsukune shrieked.

"I'm afraid everything about that was real Tsukune. Well, everything except for the first part with the emperor and all of those maids."

Tsukune turned to see Touhou Fuhai standing in the doorway as Tsukune began to blush a light crimson after realizing what his master had said. Opening his mouth to say something, Tsukune was quickly silenced when Fuhai interrupted him. "Now is not the time for questions. For now just go back to bed and prepare yourself for the tournament. I have faith in you and your abilities. You are unlike any of my previous disciples and have great heart and potential. As for Hakaishi, do not worry about him. Even he isn't foolish enough to attack when there are so many powerful people present at the tournament."

Tsukune awoke the next morning feeling oddly refreshed. He walked to the bathroom, took a relaxing bath, brushed his teeth and put a bandage over the cut on his cheek. Walking back to his room, he saw that a uniform was folded neatly on his bed with a pair of fighting boots and sweat bands beside them. On top of the uniform was a note saying:

'To Tsukune,

Since you and Fong-Fong are my official disciples, I decided to get you two some fighting gear for the tournament. Now there might be some opponents who scare you and there very well may be some that are stronger than you, but you must never give up and always believe in yourselves like I believe in you. I have trained you both very well and you have both exceeded my expectations. Pack light and meet out front when you both are ready.

Signed,

Touhou Fuhai'

Tsukune placed the note down and smiled as he added the uniform to the bag he had packed the night before. Grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste on the way, Tsukune made his way to the front door and laced up his shoes. Upon exiting the dojo, Tsukune saw that Fong-Fong and Touhou Fuhai were both ready and eager to get going.

"Tsukune! Are you ready to go kick some ass and win this thing?!" beamed Fong-Fong

"You bet!" responded Tsukune.

"Hey, what happened to your face? Did you fall out of bed and hurt yourself this morning?" Fong-Fong asked with a playful grin.

"Y-yea. That's it. I got my foot tangled up in my sheets and cut my cheek on my nightstand." Tsukune sheepishly replied, not wanting to relive the painful memory of how he had truly gotten that injury.

"Grab your bags kids. Our ride is here."

Tsukune and Fong-Fong slung their bags over their shoulders and walked over beside their master and watched as a yellow school bus pulled up in front of the dojo and opened its doors.

"Hello there, old friend. Need a lift?" the Bus Driver said. The Bus Driver wore a blue chauffeur's outfit and had a cigar sticking out of the side of his mouth. When Tsukune got a good look at him, he instantly felt creped out. His eyes were hidden by the brim of his hat, but gave off the same eerie feeling that Mikogami's did. They were paralyzing, piercing and seemed like they were up to no good.

"Hello again, Bus Driver. Had any interesting passengers lately?" Mikogami asked, climbing aboard.

"Sadly no." he responded.

Fong-Fong boarded the bus next and sat down near the back right of the bus. Shaking off his nerves, Tsukune boarded the bus, only to be stopped by the Bus Driver, who lightly grabbed his arm.

"Hey kid, you might find yourself in some pretty heavy shit where you're headin'. You sure you wanna go?"

Gulping hard, all Tsukune could do was nod his head 'yes' and proceed to walk to the back left of the bus, across the aisle from Fong-Fong.

"Alright you two, this bus ride will take about 2 hours so get some rest." Touhou Fuhai yelled back to Fong-Fong and Tsukune as he threw his bag behind his head and laid back.

About an hour or so later, both Fong-Fong and Touhou were out cold, both snoring softly. Tsukune, however, remained awake deep in thought about everything that had transpired these last few weeks. He also thought about what Touhou had told him the night before and what the Bus Driver told him when he boarded the bus.

"Hey kid, what's on your mind?" the Bus Driver yelled back to Tsukune.

Being broken out of his trance, Tsukune responded, "A lot of things. Too many to think about all at once and none that can be answered easily or quickly."

"Well don't think about it too much, kid. Focus on the moment. Otherwise you'll find yourself dead in a pool of your own blood with more questions in your mind, and no answers. The answers you seek will come to you in due time."

'_Just who the hell is this guy?' _Tsukune thought to himself and decided to get some sleep.

About an hour later, the bus came to a screeching halt, causing all 3 sleeping passengers to slide to the floor with a thud. "Alright, we're here!" announced the Bus Driver as all 3 patrons groaned and de-wedged themselves from between the seats.

All three then proceeded to exit the bus as their ride quickly did a 180 and sped off to who knows where.

"I'm glad you all made it here safely!"

The three turned to see Akasha, who had a warm smile on her face. She was dressed in an emerald green kimono that had pink and silver lotus blossoms on it and was tied together with a silver bow. Tsukune and Fong-Fong were rendered speechless when they saw her and only Touhou seemed to be at least semi-coherent.

"Th-thank you Akasha. It is good to see you again." Fuhai said with a bow while wiping away the blood from his nose quickly, hoping she wouldn't notice.

"Follow me and I shall show you to your rooms." She said as she turned and began to elegantly walk towards a traditional Japanese castle. She led them into the East wing of the estate and showed them where they would be staying.

They would all be sharing the same room, but the room was dressed to the nines. It has a luxurious kitchen, a living room with a 60" Flat Screen LCD HD TV with a magnificent brown leather couch. There was a marble table in front of the couch and a few plants of various types and sizes around the room to give it a completed look. There was even a bath the size of a hotel swimming pool.

"I hope these arrangements will be ok. Mikogami brought all of his disciples, even the ones who would not be participating so we quickly ran out of room." Akasha apologized with a bow.

Shaking his hands frantically in front of him, Tsukune responded, "O-of course they're alright! In fact they're better than alright! This room is incredible!" Realizing he had just made a fool out of himself, Tsukune grew a pale red as he began to scratch the back of his head. Akasha chuckled at his antics.

"Well I must be going then. There is still a lot left to be done if we are to be ready for tomorrow. There is going to be a party outside in the arena around 8pm. It is going to be casual, so there is no need to dress fancy. You are free to roam around the castle as you wish. There is a spa in the south wing, a gym in the north, and a cafeteria in the middle. The west wing is where Mikogami and the others are staying. Please enjoy yourselves today and I shall see you all at the party." With that, Akasha left the trio alone to unpack and unwind.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm heading straight to the cafeteria! How 'bout you Tsukune?" Fong-Fong asked.

"Sure! I'm starving! You comin' sensei?"

"Sensei?" Tsukune looked around and couldn't find Fuhai anywhere. "Oh well. I'm sure he's just off to take a look around."

Fong-Fong and Tsukune walked to the cafeteria and were amazed at the menu. It had all sorts of different foods from Mexican and Italian to Japanese and American. Making their selections, Fong-Fong sat down with a bowl of miso soup, a slice of pepperoni pizza, curry and a can of pop. Tsukune sat across from him and had chosen a bowl of rice, a bean burrito, a ½ lbs. bacon cheeseburger and a can of iced coffee.

When they were done, they decided to go their separate ways; Fong-Fong back to the room and Tsukune to the spa. Changing into the complimentary robe and storing his clothes in a locker, Tsukune entered the first of many rooms of the spa; the mud bath. He laid in there for about a half hour before washing the mud off and heading to the next room. The next room was a massage room.

Tsukune laid down on the table and awaited his misuse. Hearing someone enter, Tsukune turned to greet them. He nearly got a massive nosebleed when he saw her. She had ocean blue hair and alluring purple eyes. Her face isn't what caused his nose to bleed though. It was her massive breasts, which he guessed had to be at least an H or a G cup.

Whipping his head back around and burying it into the table, Tsukune laid there as the misuse began to dig her hands into Tsukune's tense body and massage out all of the knots and tension.

"You seem to be really tense. Relax and enjoy the massage." The girl said as she ran her hands along Tsukune's back.

Tsukune would've bet any amount of money on the fact that he was being given the world's best massage. He wasn't quite sure, but something about her words took his mind off of anything stressful he had on his mind and he relaxed and enjoyed himself.

"My name is Kurumu. What's yours?" the misuse asked.

"M-my name is Tsukune. Tsukune Aono." He replied with a stutter.

"Well, Tsukune Aono, I must say, you have quite an impressive body. No doubt it's from countless hours of harsh training." She said as she leaned against him to better massage his upper back. Meanwhile her breasts were pressing against his bare back, only her silky uniform between them.

Her words caused Tsukune to blush a deep red, lucky for him that his face was hidden by the massage table. All Tsukune could muster was a slightly high pitched "Mhm" which caused Kurumu to giggle.

She then proceeded to massage Tsukune's legs and arms, applying acupressure to his feet and hands. "Almost done Tsukune. All that remains are your shoulders and neck." Kurumu then climbed on top of the table and straddled Tsukune as she leaned forward and began massaging his shoulders and neck.

Tsukune was extremely grateful to be lying on his stomach, as to avoid any embarrassing situation that would occur if he was on his back. (*wink wink* *nudge nudge*) After about another ten minutes, Kurumu seemed to float off of Tsukune.

"I am all finished now Tsukune. I do hope you _enjoyed_ yourself." She said with a wink and a bit something extra that caused Tsukune's mind to have a few perverted thoughts.

"Ah, um, y-yes I did, thank you." He said bowing.

Kurumu blushed and gave a small bow before exiting the room. Letting out a breath of relief, Tsukune decided to use the open bath at the spa to relax.

Washing himself off with a few buckets of water before entering the main bath, Tsukune stepped in and sank deep into the bath and let out a big 'Ahhhh'. He closed his eyes and just enjoyed the relaxing and revitalizing minerals that the bath had in it. Suddenly, Tsukune heard a scream and a smack from the other side of the bath, which he assumed was the women's side. Shortly after, he saw Touhou Fuhai walk into the men's bath with a lump on his head, a red hand print on his left cheek and a piece of bloody toilet paper in both nostrils. "This is why I like 2D women better! They don't freak out when you look at them in the bath or try to join them!" he grumbled as he climbed into the bath next to Tsukune.

Tsukune sat there with a nervous look on his face, not sure what to make of the situation.

"Enjoying yourself, Tsukune?" Fuhai asked.

"Huh? Oh, yea. The spa is really relaxing and the food in the cafeteria was amazing," he responded.

"Glad at least someone is enjoying it." Fuhai mumbled.

"E-excuse me sensei?" Tsukune asked, not quite sure what Fuhai had said.

"Nothing, nothing. I wish my misuse was half as sexy as his was," Fuhai said, loud enough for Tsukune to hear causing Tsukune to blush a deep red. Tsukune then slid deeper into the water, blowing bubbles and only having his nose and up sticking out of the water. After a little longer, Tsukune looked at the clock and noticed that it was already 5:30 PM. Tsukune decided to leave the spa and relax with some TV before the party started. He excused himself from the bath as Fuhai remained for a while longer. He changed back into his clothes and returned the robe he was given.

Headed back to his room, Tsukune said hello to the people he passed and briefly kicked a ball around with some little kids that he passed. When he got back to the room, Fong-Fong was sitting on the couch and flipping through the channels trying to find something to watch.

"Hey Fong-Fong, whatcha up to?" he asked.

"Nothing much. Just trying to find something to watch. Can you believe they have over a thousand channels but not one interesting thing on!" Fong-Fong yelled.

"Why don't we just watch some of the anime I brought?" Tsukune suggested as he quickly fetched the bag he had packed and pulled out the entire collection of Dragonball and Dragonball Z.

"Awesome! I didn't know you had every copy!"

"Yup. Why don't we start at the beginning with Dragonball?" Tsukune said as he scratched the back of his head out of embarrassment.

They sat there and watched a few episodes. They decided to stop when the clock reached 7 so they would have time to get ready for the party and make it there on time.

Tsukune was dressed in a lightweight white t-shirt with a pair of denim jeans. Fong-Fong decided to wear a long-sleeved red thermal and a pair of sweats. Following the map they were given by Akasha, Tsukune and Fong-Fong made their way to the arena where the party was being held. Upon arrival, they were stunned by how many people were there. There was easily 300 people there ranging from toddlers, to the elderly and everywhere in between. Most of them seemed to be around Tsukune and Fong-Fong's age of 17. They walked into the crowd and mingled with the other people.

After about an hour, however, Tsukune began to feel a bit downed, and Fong-Fong could tell.

"You alright, dude?" Fong-Fong asked his friend out of concern.

"Yea. Just not feeling like partying is all." Tsukune then turned and began to leave the party. Just as he was about to leave, he saw Akasha walking in with Mikogami and Touhou Fuhai.

"Going somewhere Tsukune?" Akasha asked.

"I-I'm just not feeling very festive is all. I'd like to get some sleep for tomorrow." With a bow, Tsukune left and headed back towards his room.

After changing into a light pair of pants, Tsukune decided to go to the gym in the north wing to blow off some steam. He grabbed a towel and filled up a water bottle on his way out. He entered the gym and saw all kinds of exercise equipment and free weights. Noticing there was another room in the back, most likely the dojo, Tsukune headed towards the back. As he got closer, he could hear someone training in the dojo. Tsukune peered through the window and saw a girl running back and forth, kicking various sand bags and other training dummies set up at random spots.

He watched as she continued to do so for about 5 minutes until she stopped right before kicking one in the middle of the floor.

"**How long do you plan on watching me?" **she asked, with power in her voice, causing Tsukune to stumble and fall through the door.

Scratching the back of his head, he began to apologize. "I-I'm sorry. I just didn't want to interru…." Tsukune's sentence was never finished as he had gotten a better look at the girl's face. She was extremely beautiful. She had long, flowing silver hair and her eyes looked like two flawless rubies.

"**You just didn't want to what?**" she said powerfully.

Catching himself staring, he quickly apologized. "S-sorry. I just didn't want to interrupt you while you were training. It's frustrating having someone interrupt a training session."

"**Yes it is. And as punishment for doing so, you are going to spar with me."** The way she spoke it was as if it was a demand and not a request, causing Tsukune's knees to shake a bit. Before he could respond, someone else answered for him.

"There will be no sparing tonight. The tournament is tomorrow so if you truly with to fight each other it will have to wait until you two meet." Tsukune turned to see Akasha standing in the doorway with a hand on her hip and a serious look on her face.

"**Whatever you say, mother. You had better not lose in the tournament so I can properly teach you your place for interrupting my precious training."** The girl said as he flipped her hair in Tsukune's face who couldn't help but smell it.

'_She smells like fresh strawberries and lavender.'_ He thought to himself. "Wait, did you say mother?!" Tsukune yelled towards the girl.

"Yes she did, Tsukune. This is my daughter, Moka Akashiya. You and her shall be participating in the tournament together." Akasha said with a soft smile.

"Well, good night Tsukune. See you tomorrow morning. And good luck to you." Akasha said as she and her daughter left Tsukune to himself.

For about an hour or so, Tsukune tried to mimic Moka's actions as he sprinted back and forth across the room, kicking dummy after dummy and sand bag after sand bag, only to exhaust himself. He laid on the hardwood floor panting and drenched in sweat as he thought about the tournament and the girl he had just met, Moka Akashiya.

**Well guys, that concludes a VERY long chapter 6 and I hope you enjoyed it. I was tempted to stop after the dream and make these 2 separate chapters but decided against it. The next chapter will be the start of the tournament which will introduce other characters from the anime/manga as well as further develop the plot and relationship between Tsukune and Moka (yes there is going to be romance between them. And no, Outer Moka will NOT be in this story so I apologize to any of you who were hoping for it. It's nothing personal. It's just that she doesn't fit in the story I have planned)**

**I would also like to thank Gamera68 who asked for a long chapter. That simple request caused me to channel more thought into it and produce this. It was a good challenge for myself and I enjoyed it. I plan on making future chapters long (maybe not AS long but more than 2k words).**

**The name of the villain (Hakaishi) has 2 meanings. Hakai is the Japanese word for 'destruction' and Shi is the Japanese word for 'death'.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I'm here with the next chapter and I hope you all enjoy it! . Now enjoy and remember to review and recommend the story to your friends! Now, on to the show!**

….

Tsukune awoke late in the middle of the night. The entire night his dreams kept being haunted by one person. That girl he had met, Moka Akashiya. There was something about her that he just couldn't get out of his head. He was looking forward to seeing her at the tournament, however that meant he have to fight her. That was one idea he wasn't too fond of. His entire childhood he was taught to never raise his hand against a girl. How would he be able to fight this one that he couldn't stop thinking about?

"Can't sleep?" Startled by the sudden question, Tsukune jumped a bit, only to realize it was his sensei talking to him.

"Y-yea. I guess I'm just nervous about the tournament," he replied sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.

"There is nothing to worry about, my boy. If you have a problem of raising your hand against the opposite gender, do not fret. The tournament matches are more like sparring. Neither me, Mikogami, nor Akasha would let the fights get out of hand if we sensed that one of the participants was trying to harm, or even kill their opponent." Hearing that, Tsukune's mind and heart felt like a big weight was lifted off of his shoulders. Well, all of it except for his thoughts about Moka.

"I sense there is something else plaguing your mind." With a wide grin, Touhou Fuhai realized what it was. "Thinking about Miss Akashiya?" he asked with his devilish grin that Tsukune had come to fear.

His face burning a deep crimson, Tsukune turned his head away from his master only to earn a hearty laugh from him. Feeling even more embarrassed, Tsukune felt like he needed some fresh air so he decided to go for a walk around the castle.

…..

Walking around the castle in the cool night air, Tsukune let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding. It wasn't terribly cold out, but being dressed only in a plain white t-shirt and a pair of long, blue pajama pants, Tsukune couldn't help but get goose bumps form on his arms. It was a relaxing cold, really. One that was cold enough to make you shiver slightly, but warm enough to be tolerable.

Tsukune decided to go to the cafeteria in hopes that he could get some kind of late night snack. Luck was in his favor as the cafeteria was open 24/7. He walked inside and headed towards one of the few open windows. He ordered himself a simple ham and cheese sandwich and a bag of chips. Sitting down at an open table, Tsukune sat there deep in thought as he slowly pecked at his sandwich. He was so deep in thought that he didn't even realize the person coming up behind him until he felt a small pinch at his neck, similar to getting a shot at the doctor.

Not knowing what was going on, he tried to turn only to have two hands placed on his shoulders to keep him in place. He noted that the hands were feminine, causing him to grow a light blush across his face. Just as suddenly as the pain had come, it had vanished. He felt a light brush of the person's tongue on their neck before they backed away, removing their hands from his shoulders. Confused, Tsukune turned around slowly. His eyes shot wide at what he saw.

Behind him was none other than Moka Akashiya. She was wearing a bright pink t-shirt with a pair of emerald green sweat pants. His mouth hung open, unable to form words as he stared at her. With a bit of a frustrated look, she spoke in a harsh, cold tone. **"It's rude to stare at people, you know. Didn't anyone ever teach you proper manners?"** As if her words had broken his trance, he quickly apologized.

"S-sorry!" he stammered. "I just didn't expect to see you, of all people this late at night." Scratching the back of his head and letting out a chuckle, Moka let out a small sigh. **"What's that supposed to mean?"** she asked, trying to further fluster the young man. It worked like a charm.

"N-nothing! I just was surprised to see you here is all!"

"**This castle is almost completely open to all participants until the end of the tournament. You shouldn't be surprised by seeing someone else in the cafeteria looking for a late night snack."**

"I guess you're right," was all Tsukune could muster to say as he turned and looked down at his sandwich, deep in thought again. Noticing his change, Moka turned around and started to walk away.

"**You'd better not stay out too late. I don't want any excuses from you as to why I beat you in the tournament. Get some rest,"** she beamed to him as she walked away. Tsukune turned and watched her silver hair sway in the wind with her perfectly tones body as she walked away. Catching himself staring, he turned and quickly finished his late night snacks before chugging a glass of water.

'_What the hell was that all about? What was that pinching I felt in my neck and why on earth did she lick me?!'_

…_._

After arriving back at his room, Tsukune quietly made his way back to his bed and crawled in. Even more thoughts of Moka plagued his mind than before, but he didn't find it difficult to fall back asleep. In fact, he found that it was rather easy. The last thought that ran through his head was the image of Moka walking away, her beautiful hair and flawless body swaying in unison.

Tsukune awoke the next morning with a scare as Fong-Fong was violently shaking him.

"WAKE UP! WE'RE RUNNING LATE AND THE OPENING CEREMONY STARTS IN 10 MINUTES!" he yelled, trying to scare the sleep from Tsukune.

Realizing what Fong-Fong had just said, Tsukune jumped up and ran towards the bathroom to quickly brush his teeth. He then changed into his new uniform with lightning speed and was out the door with Fong-Fong in mere seconds. Luck was on their side as they reached the tournament's location right as the opening ceremony was starting.

"Good morning everyone! I hope you are as excited as I am for the start of the tournament!" Akasha yelled into the microphone, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers and screams.

"Now let's get this show on the road, shall we?" And with that, fireworks began to explode into the sky as confetti fell lightly upon the crowd. "Now, would each side please select its first combatant? Due to the difference in number of disciples, some disciples of Mikogami's Martial Arts shall have to face one another."

"That is fine. It shall provide my disciples adequate sparring." Mikogami said as he glared over at Tsukune and the others.

"Today shall be the elimination rounds, with only 8 competitors moving on to the Quarterfinals, which will be held tomorrow. I now ask for each competitor to step up and each pick a number out of this hat." Akasha held a witch's hat out in front of her as, one by one, each competitor drew a number from the hat.

"Now that each person has drawn a number, each paring will be randomly selected. The winner of each match shall move on to the quarterfinals tomorrow." And with the push of a button, the pairings were displayed on the giant screen that hung above the entrance. The pairings were as follows: Fong-Fong vs. boy with short blonde hair who looked slightly younger than him, and Tsukune vs. a boy with long, black hair who seemed to not care if he was even there. Tsukune was just glad that he didn't have to face Moka yet. Honestly, he wished to put that off for as long as he could.

The elimination matches were fairly quick. Fong-Fong quickly dispatching his opponent with his spectacular martial arts skills that he inherited from his mother, while Tsukune didn't really have much of a fight. He took his stance and readied himself, just for his opponent to jump out of the ring and quit. Not knowing what happened, Tsukune found his hand raised and declared the victor.

….

After the remaining 6 matches took place, it was now late into the afternoon, around 6 PM. Some of the other matches took as long as an hour to finish, while the others, such as Moka's match, were over just as quick as Tsukune's.

"You boys did a wonderful job today! As a reward, why don't we all go out to eat!" Fuhai exclaimed, causing Tsukune and Fong-Fong to get excited at the idea.

"What a wonderful idea, Fuhai. I hope you don't mind if I bring my disciples that will participate tomorrow." Everyone turned to see Mikogami wearing a grin just as devilish as Fuhai's.

"Of course not, Mikogami. After all, the tournament is for the youngsters to enjoy," replies Fuhai.

…

Tsukune, Fong-Fong and Fuhai all awaited their guests as they stood at the edge of the sidewalk. As they saw their ride pull up, they noticed it was the same, creepy Bus Driver as before. Just as they began to get on the bus, they heard a yell. "Wait for us!" a female voice exclaimed. Half hanging out of the doorway, Tsukune looked to see Akasha running towards the bus with Mikogami and 4 of his disciples following her. Tsukune only paid attention to one in particular: Moka Akashiya.

"Well, well. If it isn't the lovely Akasha Bloodriver," said the Bus Driver with a humble bow. "It is a great pleasure to be of service to you today."

"Well thank you, Bus Driver," she said with a warm smile as she boarded the bus.

"Mikogami, my old friend, how are you?" asked the Bus Driver.

"I'm doing very well. How goes your most recent endeavors?" Mikogami asked with a devious grin as he glanced back to an unaware Tsukune.

The Bus Driver chuckled as he looked over his shoulder at the teen. "Good. But we shall see how things develop in these upcoming days."

Grinning even bigger and creepier, Mikogami responded with a simple, "Well said," and took a seat behind Akasha.

Tsukune just sat there, towards the back of the bus, staring out the window. Fong-Fong was sitting in the seat in front of him trying to talk, but his words fell on deaf ears. Sensing his friends daze, Fong-Fong decided he should just stay quiet and let his friend be.

'_I wonder what my parents would think if they knew about me being here? What would they even think about me learning to fight in the first place? I'm sure Dad would be proud, but Mom would probably kill me.' _ Tsukune sighed as he saw strands of silver float past him in the isle. Breaking him out of his daze, Tsukune turned to see Moka take the seat behind him and give him a death stare. He turned back around so fast he felt light headed.

'_Does she hate me? If so, then why didn't she attack me last night when no one was looking? Wait, why am I thinking this stuff? I just met her!'_ A light blush fell across his face as he averted his eyes to the scenery outside. Even if he wasn't looking at her, Tsukune could feel the glares Moka was giving him, making him feel uneasy. Looking back, Akasha noticed the two youngsters and gave a light giggle. Even if her daughter didn't show it, Akasha could tell that there was something in Tsukune that intrigued her daughter. That was something she knew her daughter would never admit to.

…..

As the bus arrived at their destination, everyone exited the bus. Well, all except for Tsukune who was still lost in his thoughts.

"You comin' or goin' kid?" asked the Bus Driver.

Startled, Tsukune looked around the bus and saw that they had all left. He hastily jumped out of his seat and darted off of the bus. The Bus Driver couldn't help but grin as Tsukune jumped off of the bus, running after his group. "You sure do make things interesting, don't ya kid?" the Bus Driver said as he turned off the engine and exited the bus.

…..

Tsukune caught up to his group right as they were entering the building. They had gone to a traditional hibachi restaurant that seemed to be deserted, which was odd. "I've rented out the entire restaurant so please do enjoy yourselves." Tsukune gasped at what Akasha had said, not even slightly able to comprehend how much it would cost to rent the ENTIRE restaurant. He could barely afford one meal here, let alone renting the place!

"Welcome to Witch's Noll. We are new here and are happy that you chose us. Ask us anything and we will be happy to oblige." The hostess was wearing a long black skirt and a pink corset that was snuggly fastened around her petite frame and tied around her neck with silky black strings. Her hair hung freely except for two sections tied off into pigtails.

…..

She led the party to a secluded room in the back of the restaurant. Looking around, Tsukune noticed that the place was decorated as if it were Halloween. There were cobwebs hanging on the ceiling and mechanical spiders that crawled around the walls. There were jack-o-lanterns where the lights should have been, giving the place a gothic feel. As they arrived at their table, Tsukune noticed that the normal hibachi grill wasn't normal. Instead of the stainless steel stove top, it was a cauldron. The chairs weren't normal either. They were wooden and had sunflowers woven into them and the back of the chair was carved to look like a sunflower.

Sitting down, Tsukune couldn't help but smell the wonderful fragrances that were coming from the cauldron. Tsukune assumed that it was filled with various different spices and herbs that seasoned the food.

"Now, what would you all like to drink?" the hostess asked.

"My disciples and I will have some water. If you could, just bring a pitcher or two." Mikogami said, ordering for his students.

"Being a prude as always Mikogami. MY disciples and I would like a pitcher of Pepsi, if you wouldn't mind." Touhou Fuhai sent a bit of a challenging glare towards Mikogami who ground his teeth.

"My daughter and I would like a glass of tomato juice please."

Tsukune turned to his right and didn't even realize who he was sitting next to. To his left sat Fong-Fong at the end of the table, Touhou Fuhai between them, Akasha to his right and Moka right beside her. Mikogami and his other disciples sat at the other end of the table, next to Moka. As if she could sense Tsukune's nervousness, Akasha offered him a warm smile that helped him relax slightly. Moka, on the other hand, gave him a death gaze when she saw him look in her direction.

'_This dinner isn't going to end well.'_ Tsukune thought to himself as the waitress brought out their drinks.

…..

"My name is Ruby and if there is anything you need, feel free to ask. You chef will be with you shortly to take your orders." She left with a polite bow and Tsukune picked up his menu. Looking it over, he couldn't decide what he wanted. There was steak and chicken, steak and shrimp, chicken and shrimp and a dozen other possible combinations of delectable meats, seafood and poultry.

"So, Tsukune, know what you're going to order?" Akasha asked him, causing him to jump slightly at the sudden question.

"N-no, not really. Everything on the menu looks good so it's hard to decide," he said nervously, scratching the back of his head. Akasha found his actions adorable and let out a girly giggle which caused Tsukune to blush even more than he already was.

"I suggest the steak. It is simply wonderful. The chicken and the shrimp are also very good, so I can see why it would be hard to choose." Akasha said this to try and comfort Tsukune, and it seemed to work as he lightened up and started to relax.

"Has everyone decided?" Tsukune looked up to see that Ruby had changed into a chef's outfit, tall hat and all.

"You're our chef too , Ruby?" he asked.

She blushed slightly and responded, "Why yes. We are kind of short staffed around here so the owner has me filling in everywhere when needed." As if sensing that he shouldn't have asked, Tsukune didn't push the subject any further, but Ruby seemed to be in a bit of a fantasy daydream.

Catching herself daydreaming, Ruby felt embarrassed and quickly apologized. "It's quite alright, dear. Now if you don't mind, I think we are ready to order." Akasha comforted the young waitress/hostess/chef who felt relieved that she was forgiven for her rudeness.

Once everyone had placed their orders, Ruby added a few more spices to her cauldron and put the meats, seafood and poultry into the pot. She began to stir it with a giant wooden spoon, going even further with the theme of the restaurant. After a quick soak, Ruby took a strainer and fished out all of the food from the cauldron. With a push of a button, a stainless steel stove slid overtop of the giant cauldron. She reached behind her and squirted some oil down on the stove before placing the food down into neat piles.

As she cooked, she put on a wonderful show as she skillfully tossed her utensils around as entertainment. At one point, she placed some onions onto the stove and carefully stacked them to look like a cone. Spraying an unknown liquid inside the cone, she pulled out a want and a flame came out of the tip, causing the unions to erupt in flames. Everyone leaned back at the sudden explosion and applauded the show. Once the food was done cooking, Ruby slid the appropriate food onto everyone's plates and bowed, earning a hearty round of applause from the guests.

….

The rest of the dinner went rather well, as everyone devoured their food. The only odd thing was how Moka and Akasha ate their stake. Not only did they order it rare, but the seemed to suck on the meat before SLOWLY chewing it. Tsukune supposed that they were just savoring it, but it seemed a bit odd to him. They even licked their plates clean of the mixture of blood, juice and other spices! Tsukune was smart enough to stay quiet and not ask about it, but something seemed off about the whole ordeal.

"I do hope you all enjoyed your meal and experience here. Please do come again." Ruby waved goodbye to them as the group once again boarded the bus, however someone was missing.

"Where's the Bus Driver?" Tsukune asked in confusion.

"Oh I'm sure he's around here somewhere. Probably getting into no good or sticking his nose into something that doesn't concern him." Akasha responded.

"Everyone ready to go?" As if on cue, the Bus Driver jumped onto the bus and gave his guests a creepy grin. Well, everyone but Akasha, Mikogami and Touhou Fuhai found it creepy. Those three just smiled and nodded. With a tip of his hat, the Bus Driver sat in his throne and started the engine. With a heavy step on the gas, the bus sped away from the restaurant, causing Tsukune to feel like he was about to experience the delicious meal for the second time. Even Moka couldn't help but suppress a chuckle at his actions. Luckily for her it wasn't loud enough for anyone to hear.

Arriving back at the glorious estate, everyone exited the bus with gusto. They were all tired from their long day.

"So, do you wanna go to the spa and relax a bit Tsukune?" Fong-Fong asked his friend.

"Sure! I could use a relaxing soak in the bath!" he exclaimed. The two rushed off towards the spa and Fuhai let out a sigh. "Wait for me! Don't think you can have all the fun without me!" he yelled after them, as he chased his disciples as fast as his legs could take him.

"They sure are a lively bunch aren't they?" Akasha asked, standing beside Mikogami and the Bus Driver.

The Bus Driver smiled wide and said, "They sure are. They deserve it though. These next few days are going to be extremely challenging. Especially for that Tsukune fellow."

With a unanimous nod, the Bus Driver returned to his vehicle and mounted up. "Well, until next time, my friends." He tipped his hat to Mikogami and Akasha and sped off to Kami knows where.

"I do hope that he comes out of this weekend in one piece." Akasha said, slightly under her breath.

"I do too. As much as I would hate to lose this tournament, that boy has a very important role to play in the future." Mikogami said with a very serious look on his face as his eyes seemed to flicker and sparkle.

…

Letting out a sigh of relief and relaxation as he sank into the hot bath water, Tsukune leaned back against the bath and let his worries fade away.

"This sure feels amazing!" exclaimed Fong-Fong who was sitting on the side of the bath.

"It would be even more amazing if it was a mixed bath." Fuhai said with a bit of disappointment on his face. Hearing his master say that caused Tsukune to grow a blush. The thought of bathing with girls wasn't exactly a bad thing in his mind. It's just that he was very innocent and would feel very awkward if that were the case due to his innocence. Although, Tsukune would be lying if he had said that he'd never thought about that kind of stuff before, but he would never admit to it.

Hearing giggles coming from the other side of the bathhouse, Fuhai grinned widely and started to swim to the far side of the bath. He then tried to climb up the wall to get 'a better look' at the bathhouse.

"Grandfather, what do you think you're doing?!" Fong-Fong asked.

"Shhhh! Let an old man enjoy himself and try to feel young again!" he said in a hushed tone, trying not to alert the women of his actions. Tsukune just sighed, knowing exactly how this was going to end. Sensing the inevitable, Tsukune decided to leave the bathhouse so he wouldn't get blamed for trying to peep.

Exiting rather hastily, Tsukune took the turn out of the bathhouse too quickly and slipped. He hadn't even seen the person in front of him until it was too late. He crashed into them and they both fell over due to the force. Shaking his head trying to reorganize himself, Tsukune looked under him to see who he had run into. He tried to push himself up, but realized that what he was pushing on was far too soft and squishy to be the floor. Looking down, he saw that his hand was placed on someone's inner thigh. Looking up, he nearly died on the spot as he saw two crimson eyes that swelled with rage.

"M-M-M-M-Moka! I-i-i-it's not what you think! You see what happened was…" Tsukune never finished his sentence. Moka let out a primal growl of anger as Tsukune jumped to his feet and took off out of the spa, completely ignoring the fact that he was still in nothing more than a towel. Disregarding the fact that his clothes were still in his locker at the spa, Tsukune just ran towards his room in fear for his life.

Reaching his room, Tsukune threw the door open and slammed it shut behind him, panting heavily. He had never run so fast before in his life. Steadying his breathing a bit, Tsukune tried to stay silent and listen for his pursuer. Much to his surprise, he heard nothing and let out a giant sigh of relief. He began to take a few steps forward with his eyes still closed.

Sensing that something wasn't right, he opened his eyes and his mouth dropped to the floor. He stood there shaking in fear as he saw Moka standing in front of him with her arms crossed, wearing nothing more than a towel. If Tsukune wasn't so sure his life was about to be ended prematurely, he would've had a massive nose bleed. Moka stood there, tapping her food against the hardwood floor as she stared at Tsukune, thinking about what to do with him.

'_How in the world did she get here before I did?!'_

Gulping hard, Tsukune began to speak. "U-um Moka? W-what happened was just an accident. Y-you see I slipped when I was exiting the bathhouse and couldn't stop my momentum." He scratched the back of his head and let out a fake laugh.

"**You think I care?" **she beamed, causing Tsukune to jump at her sharp words.

"**I should kick you so hard that your head flies off!"** The thought of that was too much for Tsukune. He let out a small chuckle as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fainted on the spot. Falling hard to the floor below and smacking his head off of the floor.

Seeing him faint and slam so hard off the ground, Moka rolled her eyes and left the room. As she left, she couldn't help but lightly smile at the fear she had been able to give him. _**'If only he knew the truth about me and the others.'**_ Mixed emotions washed over Moka as she thought to herself and made her way back to the spa. _**'I wonder if he would still be here if he knew what we were.'**_

…_**..**_

**Well guys, that brings this next chapter to a close! I honestly debated changing the tournament from a weekend long event to a one day event but decided against it at the last second. Also, I struggled for almost a whole day as to what character to introduce at the restaurant. I was stuck between Ruby and Mizore but decided on Ruby since I feel that Mizore's introduction should be better. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. The next chapter will be out in a few days as I kinda want to take a bit of a breather. But who knows, I might only take a day or two to relax and surprise you guys with a chapter.**

**Before I go I want to give you all a piece of advice: NEVER peep in a bathhouse ;) **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! I'm back and a lot sooner than I expected! I felt upset and displeased with chapter 7. However, quite a few of you seemed to enjoy it which lifted my spirits quite a bit. This caused me to pick myself up and brush off the dust. As a reward, here is a chapter 8 that I am VERY pleased with and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! So, without further adieu, Chapter 8! **

…_.._

'_Ugh. Where am I? Why does my head hurt so much? It feels like I got sucker punched by Mike Tyson.'_ Tsukune gingerly got up off of the floor, rubbing the side and back of his head. _'Wait, this isn't my room? Just where am I?!'_

He looked around and saw a rather large room. There was a large window on the far side of the room with a desk beside it. There was a large bookshelf on the right side of the room and a large, supersized bed on the left. Beside him, on the near wall, was a large dresser and wardrobe that sat beside the door. The oddest part about the room? It was completely empty. No decorations, no books on the shelf, no lamp or anything on the desk and Tsukune guessed that there was nothing in either the dresser or the wardrobe.

'_Well it doesn't seem like anyone's here and my head is killing me. Might as well lie down on the bed.'_ Tsukune made his way over to the bed and started to undress down to his boxers. He neatly folded his clothes and placed them on the chair by the desk. Returning to the bed, he noticed that the sheets, pillow cases and even the comforter were all the same material and color: crimson silk.

Climbing into the bed, Tsukune let out a sigh of relaxation as his bare skin slid along the silky sheets. Laying his head down onto the pillow, Tsukune felt his head begin to hurt less and less; the cool pillow acting as a pseudo icepack. He closed his eyes and began to try to fall asleep.

Just about to fall into the clutches of sleep, he felt movement on the bed. Passing it off as just his mind, Tsukune rolled over and tried to get comfortable again. Again about to fall asleep, he felt movement on the bed. This time, however, something brushing up against his flesh.

His eyes shooting wide open at the feel of flesh on flesh, Tsukune looked for the body that share the giant bed with him. His face grew a deep blush the color of the sheets and his nose let loose a small stream of blood that trickled into his open mouth. In front of him he saw the most beautiful person he had ever laid eyes on. In front of him laid Moka Akashiya. Silver Haired maiden of mystery and mayhem.

Tsukune was unsure of whether to speak or to run. Unable to make up his mind, he just stayed lying in the bed, speechless and motionless. Before Tsukune could process what was going on, Moka wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in close. His face grew an even deeper crimson as he realized that he was not the only one topless. Moka's bountiful breasts were pressed against Tsukune's chiseled chest.

"It's just a dream! It's just a dream! It's just a dream!" Tsukune told himself.

"**Shhhh. Be quiet and go back to sleep Tsukune."** Moka places a slender finger on his lips to silence him. She then leaned her face up to his and seductively licked the blood from the bottom of his nose and down to his lips, only to suck on his upper lip gently. With a smile on her face, she then opened her eyes and stared into his.

Tsukune was completely stupefied. He stared deep into her flawless, crimson eyes that led into the depths of her heart and soul. What he saw was almost as surprising as the situation he found himself in. Deep within her heart and soul, Tsukune saw a scared, young Moka who was afraid of each new emotion that appeared within her. He saw an iron wall with numerous chains and locks tightly seal her heart away from the world. Seeing this new side to Moka, Tsukune began to see her in a new light.

"Oh, Moka…." he said breathlessly.

"**Tsukune…."** she replied.

They leaned towards each other as their eyes gently closed as their lips approached each other. Their lips were mere millimeters apart and they could feel each other's breath on their lips. With their lips about to touch, Tsukune heard a voice:

…

"Wake up, boy! I know you are happy to see me and are grateful for my teachings, but keep the intimate stuff to yourself!"

His jolted open and saw Touhou Fuhai clutched tightly within his arms. Tsukune noticed that Fuhai was pushing off of Tsukune's chest with all his might as Tsukune's lips were puckered and centimeters away from Fuhai's face. Extremely embarrassed, Tsukune released his master and hung his head. He then placed both hands in front of him on the floor and placed his forehead on the floor behind his hands. 

"I'm so sorry sensei! I didn't know what I was doing!"

"I think you knew exactly what you were doing. Just not who you were doing it to. Just who were you dreaming of Tsukune?" Fuhai said with his clichéd grin.

Blushing almost as crimson as the sheets in his dreams, Tsukune sat there silent. _'There's no way I can tell him it was Moka! I didn't even know I liked her like that, but it just felt so right. It felt…. natural.'_

"It wasn't Miss Akashiya was it?" Fuhai inquired, his grin growing bigger by the second.

Hearing this caused Tsukune to blush a red so deep, one would think he had fallen face first into a can of a deep, crimson red paint. "N-n-n-n-no! Of c-course not!" he stammered, only confirming his master's accusations.

"Just don't let your fantasies get in the way of the tournament Tsukune. You have a big day ahead of yourself. Get some rest." Fuhai instructed as he turned and headed to retire for the night himself.

"Fuhai-sensei?" Tsukune asked.

Turning his head over his shoulder, Fuhai looked his disciple in the eyes. "What is it Tsukune?"

Thoughts of how Moka had licked the blood from his nose and sucked it off of his lip entered Tsukune's mind. He was planning on asking if there were some kind of fetish involving blood, but he decided that was a VERY inappropriate question to ask. "I-it's nothing. Never mind."

…

Tsukune awoke the next day rather early. The first round of the quarterfinals didn't start until noon and he was up at 7 AM. Tsukune made his way to the bathroom and proceeded through his morning routine. By the time he was done, it was still only 7:18, so Tsukune decided to head to the cafeteria to grab some breakfast.

Entering the cafeteria, Tsukune saw that there were a few people there. People that he knew. He saw that Mikogami was there with his disciples that had participated in the elimination rounds as well as the ones that were still competing in the tournament. However, there was one missing. The one that Tsukune was relieved, yet sad to not see: Moka.

Going through the various breakfast lines, Tsukune chose a selection of pancakes, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs and a glass of orange juice. Going light on the syrup to make sure he wouldn't get sick later, Tsukune sat at an empty table, away from Mikogami and his disciples, but not too far away as to look like he was avoiding them. He began to cut his pancakes and take a few bites when he heard the 'clack' of a food tray being set down in front of him. He looked up to see Akasha sit across from him with a warm smile.

"Good morning, Tsukune. Did you sleep well?"

Thoughts of his dream about him and Akasha's daughter came to the front of his mind. Shaking them off quickly, but still lightly blushing, Tsukune responded to her question.

"Y-yes I did. Thank you." He took a bit too big of a bite and nearly choked on it, which caused Akasha to laugh lightly. Blushing further out of embarrassment, Tsukune broke the short silence.

"U-um, Akasha? I have a bit of a personal question that I was hoping you wouldn't mind answering."

Puzzled by his request, Akasha decided to hear him out. "Of course, Tsukune. What is it that you'd like to ask me?"

"W-well, I was wondering why you and Moka have different last names even though you're mother and daughter."

Akasha grew a serious look as her expressions softened and darkened slightly. Steadying herself quick enough so Tsukune wouldn't get concerned, she responded, "Moka's father and I were never married and there were some, complications, in our family so we had to send Moka to live under the care of Mikogami. Due to these complications, Moka's father and I decided to give her a different last name than mine or my lovers'."

"I-I see… I'm sorry that I asked," Tsukune said with an apologetic tone, feeling angry for asking such a question.

"It's ok, Tsukune, really. It's no big deal. Those problems are behind us now so there's no need in getting depressed over the past." Akasha said to try to cheer Tsukune up. He looked up into her eyes and she offered him a small, but sincere smile which lifted his spirits a bit.

…

The rest of breakfast went smoothly as Tsukune and Akasha made small talk. Once both parties were finished eating, they parted ways until the start of the quarterfinals. Before leaving, Akasha let Tsukune in on a little secret. She told him that due to the setup of the tournament bracket, Tsukune wouldn't have to worry about fighting Moka until the finals. However, he would have to fight Fong-Fong in the semi-finals if he wished to reach the finals. A feeling of relief and grief washed over Tsukune in waves.

Once he got back to his room, Tsukune decided to take a nice, hot bath to try and relax and clear his mind. By the time he exited the bath, it was now 9:30AM and Tsukune was running out of ideas of how to kill time.

"Hey Tsukune? Wanna watch some Dragonball again and pick up where we left off?" Fong-Fong asked. Tsukune nodded lightly and they began to watch the anime. After only 2 episodes, Tsukune found himself thinking about what Akasha had told him at breakfast. Not just the fact that he might have to face Fong-Fong, but also the information regarding Moka and her parents.

"Sorry Fong-Fong. I'm just not feeling too well. I think I'm gonna go for a walk to blow off some steam." Tsukune said, excusing himself from the living room.

"Sure thing, bro. I'm gonna watch a few more episodes ok?"

Tsukune nodded his head and left the room. Tsukune decided to go to the gym instead of taking a simple walk. The only thing that ever seemed to clear his mind was training. Since he had the quarter and semi-finals later that day, Tsukune decided to take it easy and just get a light workout to loosen his muscles.

…

Arriving at the gym, Tsukune was relieved to find that it was empty. Heading to the free weights, Tsukune selected two fifteen pound dumbbells and went over to a bench. He began to do some curls. After 3 sets of 20, he replaced the fifteen pound dumbbells with two forty pound ones. Returning to the bench, Tsukune lay down and started going bench presses.

Right as he was in the middle of a set, someone approached him from behind and held his arms down, prohibiting him from pushing his arms up. Actually, the person holding his arms down was pushing them further back, causing Tsukune's shoulders and chest to tighten and start to cause him pain. Wincing at the building pain, Tsukune looked at the culprit.

It was a boy no older than him. He had slicked back hair and four golden hoop earrings in his left ear. It was hard to tell his exact height from his current angle, but Tsukune could tell that this guy was taller than him and obviously stronger as well.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the little lost runt. I'm surprised you're still here and even made it to the quarterfinals in the first place. Well, you probably wouldn't have if Moka didn't intimidate your opponent into forfeiting in the elimination rounds. She may want to face you to punish you for interrupting her training session, but she won't be able to do the same to me. I don't care what she tries to do to me, but I sure as hell ain't gonna lose to some wimp like you!"

Giving one more, hard shove down on Tsukune's arms, a loud 'pop' echoed throughout the gym as Tsukune let out a cry of pain. "That is just for good measure," the guy said as he left the gym, letting out a maniacal and sinister laugh.

Dropping the dumbbells, Tsukune sat up and gripped his left shoulder. The guy seemed to dislocate it and it was now throbbing in severe pain. _'Gotta get to the trainer/nurse/doctor's office or whatever they call it here. I need my shoulder popped back into place and to get ice on it immediately if I want to be in fighting shape and kick that guy's ass.'_

…

Tsukune hobbled out of the gym in pain and made his way to the spa, which was the location of the health facility. He stumbled in the door and rang the bell, waiting for someone to come. He noticed that, even for a doctor's office, it was rather cold. After about five minutes of waiting, Tsukune began to get frustrated. He turned around to leave, only to see someone in a nurse's outfit peeking inside the doorway. She had short purple hair with eyes like an aurora.

"E-excuse me. Are you the nurse here?" Tsukune asked the mysterious woman. She said nothing, only nodding yes. "C-could you help me please? My shoulder got dislocated while I was at the gym and I need to be able to fight in the quarterfinals later today." By now, it was roughly 11:15. He was running out of time until his first fight!

"Oh crap! I only have forty-five minutes until my match! Just great! I'm not gonna be able to fight that guy at even three-quarters of my strength now!" Tsukune yelled, not being able to suppress his anger. Without realizing it, the girl had moved beside Tsukune on his left and gently placed her hands on his bicep.

Tsukune wasn't sure if it was the room or nerves, but the girl's hands were really cold. In fact, he felt a cold breeze on the left side of his body that appeared once the girl got beside him. Before he could think about it any further, she pushed him down onto a patient table and popped his shoulder back into place, causing Tsukune to let out a yell of pain. She began to rotate it in circles for a little bit before going to grab an ice pack. She gently placed the bag on Tsukune's shoulder and wrapped a bandage across his chest and under his right arm to keep it in place.

"Mizore," she spoke in a quiet, mono-tone voice.

"H-huh?" Tsukune said puzzled.

"My name. My name is Mizore. Mizore Shirayuki."

"T-Tsukune Aono. And thank you so much for fixing my arm. I just hope it will be healed enough for me to kick that dirty bastards ass."

"It will. And don't worry. That dirty punk will have what's coming to him for the underhanded trick he played on you." Turning to leave the room, she pulled out a lollipop and placed it in her mouth as she left.

"Wait, doesn't the patient tend to get the lollipop?" Tsukune said, pouting slightly. "WAIT! How does she know about what that guy did to me?!" Sighing, Tsukune left the nurse's office, making sure to keep his left arm as still as possible.

…

Tsukune arrived back at his room and quickly changed into the uniform that Fuhai had given him. Relaxing for a bit longer, Tsukune took one last look at the clock before leaving for his fight(s). He had about fifteen minutes until the start of the quarterfinals. Giving his belt one last snug tug, Tsukune closed the door behind him and headed towards the arena.

On his way to the arena, Tsukune removed the bandage holding the ice pack in place and discarded it. Not wanting to waste the ice water, Tsukune took a quick sniff and tiny taste of the water to make sure no chemicals were added. Not noticing anything wrong with it, he quickly downed the water, nearly freezing his throat due to the cold. Throwing the bag away, Tsukune entered the backstage area and waited for his match. His was the third match that would take place. Two unknown disciples from Mikogami's Martial Arts would fight first, then Moka, then him, followed by Fong-Fong.

The first two matches took under a half hour collectively. Taking a deep breath before exiting the backstage and entering the arena, Tsukune mentally prepared himself for the dirty and underhanded tricks his opponent was bound to use.

"The next match shall be between Mikogami's Martial Arts' Saizo Komiya and Fuhai's Turtle School's Tsukune Aono!" Akasha announced the next match as his opponent, Saizo, arrogantly entered the arena. A mixture of cheers and boos came from the audience as Saizo paid no attention to anyone but himself.

"Wait, did she say 'Fuhai's Turtle School?'" Tsukune asked himself. He took a quick look in the mirror and noticed that his uniform seemed oddly familiar.

"Tsukune Aono?" Akasha asked over the microphone.

"Ha! That pathetic wimp probably won't even show up! I bet he's pissing himself in bed in fear of ever meeting me!" Saizo laughed.

"I wouldn't bet on it, Saizo. After I'm through with you, YOU are gonna be the one pissing yourself in fear of ME!" Tsukune beamed towards his opponent as he entered the ring. Unlike Saizo's entrance, the crowd was silent. No boos or cheers, just chatting between the crowd.

There were two people who cheered for him though. Tsukune looked out at the crowd and his suspicions about his uniform were all but confirmed. In the stands sat Fong-Fong and Touhou Fuhai. Fong-Fong was wearing the same uniform as Tsukune, but had six dots on his forehead. The thing that tipped Tsukune off the most was how Fuhai was dressed. Touhou Fuhai was dressed in an orange beach shirt, blue pants, sunglasses and a giant, purple turtle shell on his back while carrying a walking stick that had a large bulge at the top. Falling on his face in the middle of the arena, Tsukune had realized that he had fallen prey to one of Fuhai's cosplay traps. He should've known too since Dragonball and Dragonball Z were some of his favorite anime.

"I can't believe you'd fool us like this Fuhai-sensei!" Tsukune yelled at his master who just smiled wide through his fake Fu Manchu mustache and beard.

"What is he talking about grandfather?" Fong-Fong asked.

"Oh, nothing Fong-Fong. Don't worry about it," Fuhai said, offering a fake smile.

"Ok. And thanks again for the tip about drawing these dots on my head to help me channel my energy better." Fong-Fong said sincerely.

"You're very welcome. I'm always more than happy to help my students," Fuhai said grinning bigger than ever.

…

"Well, well, well. I'm surprised you had the balls to show up here, runt. I was sure our earlier 'chat' would've made you come to your senses and run out of this place like the weakling you are." Saizo said with a cocky smirk.

"Oh it did make me come to my senses. It made me realize just how much I wanted to kick your ass!" Tsukune said confidently, taking his stance.

"What did you say punk?!" Saizo was obviously getting angry, which is exactly what Tsukune wanted.

"BEGIN!" shouted Akasha, who rang the ceremonial bell to signal the start of each match.

Saizo charged straight for Tsukune and threw a wild, but extremely powerful punch that Tsukune easily ducked under. Tsukune threw an uppercut to Saizo's stomach, but Saizo barely seemed to be phased.

"Ha! If that's all you got, this is gonna be easier than I anticipated!" Saizo brought his knee into Tsukune's gut then punched in square in the face. Tsukune tried bracing himself as much as he could, but took a hard, devastating his straight to the jaw. Tsukune flew back twenty feet and spit out some blood.

Tsukune pushed himself off of the ground and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "I see you don't like to play games. You want to cause lots of damage and end matches with a single blow. Well, if that's how you play, I would be happy to play along!" Tsukune took a wide stance and closed his eyes. He began to focus his Ki throughout his body, causing a blue mist to flow over his body. He concentrated more and the mist began to flow faster, causing his hair to flow as if a steady wind were blowing up from his feet.

Opening his eyes, Tsukune's face was filled with determination and resolve. Sensing a bit of fear from his opponent, Tsukune took his moment to strike and channeled his Ki into his feet. He dashed towards Saizo at great speed and closed the gap almost instantly.

Seeing this caused Moka to become intrigued even further in the match and sat with her arms crossed and one leg resting on top of another.

With Saizo's guard open, and no chance for him to dodge, Tsukune planted his front foot and focused all of his Ki into his right fist. He loosed his punch straight into Saizo's abdomen and sent him flying into the wall, outside of the main ring. The crowd erupted into cheers and shouts at the feat.

"And the winner by knockout is Tsukune Aono!" Akasha yelled, causing an even bigger uproar from the crowd. Moka, however, sap with her mouth open in amazement at what she had just witnessed. Quickly realizing this, she shut her mouth and wiped her face clear of all shock and feelings of being impressed. She then got up from her seat and left the crowd.

…..

"You did it Tsukune! And with only one punch no less! You were awesome!" Fong-Fong nearly tackled Tsukune in congratulations only for Tsukune to wince in pain as his left shoulder flared in pain.

"You did well, Tsukune. Honestly, even I was surprised at the amount of Ki you were able to channel and how much power you put behind it." Fuhai said to his disciple.

"Thanks, you guys. And honestly, even I was surprised. All I thought about was giving that guy what he deserved and getting my revenge." Tsukune answered.

"That is all fine and well, but remember one thing Tsukune; those who seek revenge walk down a path of sorrow and darkness. Those who seek vengeance walk the same path. However, those who seek enlightenment walk one of light and peace." Fuhai said with a semi-serious look on his face.

Taking his master's words to heart, Tsukune nodded and bowed. Heading to the stands with Fuhai to watch Fong-Fong's match, Tsukune saw Moka exiting the arena and was tempted to go after her, but decided not to. After all, what would he even say to her? They hadn't exactly left things on good terms the last time they had met.

Taking their seats, the next match began with the introductions. This match was one that Tsukune was dreading almost as much as the one he would inevitably have with Moka. This match would tell Tsukune his opponent in the semi-finals. This match would tell Tsukune if he would have to fight his good friend Fong-Fong or not. But Tsukune decided that, no matter what, he would cheer for his friend to win and deal with what would come after later.

"Introducing first, from Fuhai's Turtle School, is Fong-Fong Huang!" Various people in the stands, including Tsukune and Fuhai, erupted into cheer. Looking around, Tsukune saw Fong-Fong's parents and a lot of men in suits and sunglasses sitting around them. No doubt people who worked for Fong-Fong's family. _'Just what kind of business do his parent's run?' _Tsukune thought to himself as a drop of sweat ran down his face as he laughed.

"And from Mikogami's Martial Arts, Ginei Morioka!" Massive amounts of cheers came from the crowd, however most of them seemed to be from women. This Ginei guy had semi-long black hair that was held in place by a red headband. He wore a black button up shirt and long tan pants. Around his neck was a pendant of a wolf. Something about this guy made Tsukune feel uneasy.

"BEGIN!" And with that, the bell was rung and the match began.

"Good luck, Ginei Morioka. I wish you luck and hope that you do not suffer too many injuries at the hands of the mighty Fong-Fong Huang!"

Ginei just let out a slight chuckle. In the blink of an eye, the match was over. Fong-Fong was lying on the ground unconscious with blood coming from his mouth. No one knew exactly what had happened, but it was over. Ginei Morioka has won in less than 5 seconds time.

Rushing down to Fong-Fong, Fuhai and Tsukune hopped the wall and climbed into the center ring to tend to Fong-Fong.

"Are you ok?! Say something Fong-Fong!" Tsukune yelled, shaking his friend.

"How was I? Did I do good?" Fong-Fong asked, half conscious.

"You did well, my grandson. Now rest." Fuhai said, gently laying Fong-Fong's head down so he could get some rest.

Tsukune stood up and turned towards Ginei, how was walking away with his hands in his pockets. "Just what did you do to him?!" Tsukune yelled.

"I simply struck the back of his neck and knocked him out. I may have put a bit too much strength into the blow, but he will be fine. I'm coming for you next, Tsukune Aono." And with that, Ginei left the arena, dozens of fan girls chasing after him.

'_I swear, I will avenge you Fong-Fong! There's no way I'm going to lose to an arrogant asshole like that!'_

….

**And with that, Chapter 8 is finished! I hope you all enjoyed it! And FYI, I'm not the most knowledgeable person on weightlifting or treatments for injuries so if what I had written isn't 100% accurate, don't hate on me. I'm just human. Chapter 9 will hopefully be out by Tuesday January 14****th****. School resumes Monday, but I will try to get a good chapter to you guys as soon as I can.**


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